Could it be true? A Northern Rockies gray wolf in Arizona!!?
You read that correctly. There have been several sightings of a canine
with a collar wandering the rim of the Grand Canyon for the past few
weeks. Wildlife biologists are still looking for proof that this is a gray wolf,
but we are hoping so! If it turns out that this is a gray wolf, that
means this wolf dispersed from the Rockies through Utah or Colorado to
occupy some of the best historic habitat available to the species. And,
it’s an example of how we want gray wolf recovery to look. We want these
animals to naturally disperse to their historic habitat. But, while a
gray wolf in Arizona gladdens the hearts of every wolf advocate out
there, it also reinforces how critical federal protections for gray
wolves are right now. A national wolf delisting will remove federal
protections for imperiled gray wolves across most of the continental
United States, giving states the authority to manage them. With
patchwork protections for the species implemented at the discretion of
each state, wolves like this one would not be protected across the range
they would need to cross. We’ll keep you updated here as soon as we
learn more from wildlife biologist in Arizona about these sightings. In
the meantime, let’s hope for the best!
Will BLM say “No” to Wolf Killing Contest? Next
week, we’ll find out. According to news reports, BLM plans to issue a
final verdict about whether or not they will allow a hunters’ rights
group called Idaho for Wildlife to hold a multi-day predator killing
contest on millions of acres of national public lands in the
east-central part of Idaho this January. Before BLM can issue a final
ruling, they are required to review the many thousands of public
comments submitted on this proposal – 57,000 of those were from
Defenders members requesting the agency to deny the proposal. Great
work, everyone! We’ll let you know whether or not BLM issues the special
permit for this derby next week.
An Update from the Field: A Summary of this Week’s Wolf Research Panel in Seattle:
Leading wolf management researchers from state and federal agencies as
well as from multiple universities gathered this week in Seattle.
Sponsored by the Pacific Wolf Coalition
(of which Defenders is an active member), this forum highlighted
important new research by Dr. Rob Wielgus from Washington State
University that showed that when wolves are killed to protect livestock,
it can actually lead to an increase of livestock depredations by wolves
the following year. The panel also included fascinating social science
research by Dr. Jeremy Bruskotter from Ohio State University on the
human aspects of conflicts regarding wolves. His research points to the
importance of building trust among all groups and how demonizing one’s
opponents can turn potential allies into foes.
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