@Wolf News from @Defenders of Wildlife Blog

from the Defenders of Wildlife Blog

---

Wildlife Weekly Wrap-Up

Posted: 04 Sep 2015

Written by Haley McKey with contributions from Courtney Sexton and Melanie Gade

We’re Calling on the Service to Do More For Red Wolves: Represented by Southern Environmental Law Center, Defenders of Wildlife, The Red Wolf Coalition and Animal Welfare Institute put the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on notice
for failing to protect red wolves under the Endangered Species Act. Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service illegally authorized the killing of a critically endangered female red wolf within the Red Wolf Recovery Area in eastern North Carolina. In June, USFWS announced that it had authorized the kill and would end red wolf reintroductions, pending further study. The population has declined disastrously by as much as half of what it was only a year ago. In response, Defenders’ Jason Rylander said: ´“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needs to step up work to help this species get back on the road to recovery, not stop releasing wolves. Red wolves are endangered because they need protection and effective management to thrive. Allowing the killing of a breeding female wolf is the exact opposite of managing red wolves for recovery.” We’ll keep you updated here as we have more information.

 Conservationists Tell Washington Wildlife Officials Not to Issue Kill Order for Huckleberry Pack: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is evaluating its management options in response to a reported wolf attack in in the range of the Huckleberry Pack in Northeast Washington state. Those reading this blog will remember the “Huckleberry Pack” as the pack involved in a livestock-wolf conflict last year, where the devastating and premature outcome was Washington officials’ decision to issue a kill order for members of the pack. This year, WDWF has prioritized the use of non-lethal tools to minimize conflict. And this week, Defenders and our conservation partners — representing more than 163,000 Washington residents who wish to see Washington’s wolves recovered – sent a letter to WDFW encouraging the agency to keep it up! We believe this evolving situation in Northeast Washington can and should be handled by employing additional nonlethal tools in the area — for example using fladry or deploying a range rider to the site to further deter wolves.

source