29 February 2016
Idaho officials gun down 20 wolves in Lolo Creek
It’s February, and the woods are quiet except the occasional rustle of snow drifting down from the tall pines and the gurgle of the creek below. The air is clear and bright. The sky is cloudless and the bright sun reflects off the snow. Any humans would be cold in this weather, but wolves aren’t: they were made for winter. Wolves’ paws have thick pads on them, and they have two layers of dense fur for warmth.
Humans don’t frequent the woods much at this time of year, so the pack is less on guard than during other seasons. Imagine hearing these wolves howl together –a hauntingly beautiful song that fills the woods and echoes back. We don’t know exactly what happens next but, sadly, we can imagine.
A wolf’s hearing is exceptional. They can hear sounds from miles away. Suddenly, the winter peace is broken. The wolves hear an unfamiliar buzzing to the west. It vibrates slightly through the trees. All the wolves stand at alert. Perhaps the breeding female whines and looks around for her youngest pups. She barks twice, a warning to her pack to be on guard. Her pups likely hurry to her side and look toward the unfamiliar noise.
The noise grows louder. The mother barks again. The older wolves sense the sound is heading in their direction and begin to run. The pups run behind them and trust the adults to lead them to safety from the unknown danger. The buzzing quickly grows louder, the noise vibrating the trees and pushing clouds of snow in front of it. The wolves run faster and the loud cloud of snow circles around them, cutting off their escape into the deeper woods. The mother wolf tries to hide beneath the bushes but the pups are in the open. She runs to one just as the first shot rings out. His body drops. Another shot, then another. There is no escape. At least one of the adult wolves is wearing a radio collar that gives away the pack’s exact location. Every wolf seen is killed except one that is left to rebuild a new pack and unwittingly lead the gunners to it again next winter. Only she remains alive when the helicopter moves on to hunt for the next pack. Within a few days, the mission is complete.
Earlier this month, at the request of Idaho Game and Fish Department, the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services’ agents aerial gunned down 20 wolves in the remote Lolo Creek area of the Clearwater National Forest — public lands that belong to the American people. State officials blamed these wolves for killing too many elk, which are their natural prey. Before the wolves returned to this area in the 1990s, elk here were already in steep decline. At that time, the state blamed it on bears and cougars, encouraging hunters to target them. But that did not bring back the elk for hunters.
On February 15, 2016, nearly 70 men, women and children gathered on the steps of the state capitol in Boise to speak for the wolves. We protested the killings, and we demanded the Governor and state legislature stop the unrestrained killing of this important but undervalued species.
Wolves were nearly eradicated by man’s
ignorance and fear and they are threatened once again by these same
perceptions. It’s time to stop this madness. Will you join with us? The
Idaho Department of Fish and Game is holding a public hearing on March 9
in Boise, Idaho at 7 pm. Even if you just bring a sign expressing your
support for wolves, it is important that you attend. If you can speak on
behalf of wolves, we can help you prepare a 3 minute testimony. The
wolves cannot speak for themselves. They need all of us to fill every
seat with people who care. And if you don’t live in Idaho, you can still
speak out against the actions the state took in the Lolo.
Will you come and speak for the wolf?
Suzanne Asha Stone, Senior Northwest Representative
Suzanne has worked in wolf restoration in the northern
Rockies since 1988, including serving as a member of the 1995/1996
USA/Canadian wolf reintroduction team. She currently oversees Defender's
programs for wolf conservation and restoration in the Northwest USA and
she works directly with ranchers and farmers across the West to help
livestock owners and wildlife managers devise and implement strategies
to reduce wolf and livestock conflicts. 
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