$85k anonymous donation helps W.O.L.F sanctuary move

Janet Oravetz, KUSA 

April 23, 2016

 

FORT COLLINS - An $85.000 donation is helping the W.O.L.F Sanctuary move to a new location in northern Colorado.

The sanctuary had recently launched a capitol campaign to purchase a new property. It that will provide better access and educational opportunities for the public, along with more room and resources for the captive-born wolves and wolf dogs the organization cares for.

The group planned to use $50,000 from its savings as well as donations to make the down payment but will no longer have to do so.

An anonymous donor  who had established a Donor Advised fund at the Community Foundation heard about the campaign and recommended the generous $85,000 grant.

“We were pleasantly surprised by this incredible donation, which became a game-changer in the short time W.O.L.F. had to run its capital campaign," said Shelley J. Coldiron, Ph.D., Executive Director.

Another $70,000 was received in donations from about 700 other donors from around and country and overseas. Due to all of the donations they were able to make the down payment of $152,500 without using any funds from their savings.

The capital campaign is the first step in the move to W.O.L.F.’s new home. Additional expenses related to the relocation include the Larimer County Special Review process, necessary improvements to the property and buildings, and erection of new, larger wolf enclosures. Donors interested in supporting W.O.L.F. can visit www.wolfsanctuary.net.

Founded in 1995, W.O.L.F. has played a role in saving thousands of lives over the years.  W.O.L.F. works with a network of sanctuaries and rescue organizations around the country to place captive-born wolves and wolf dogs into safe and appropriate settings.

This sanctuary in Northern Colorado provides life-long care for up to 30 animals at a time that have been rescued from individuals unable to care for them.


source

Will the wolf survive? (Editorial)

Posted: Saturday, April 23, 2016 

The New Mexican

 

Forty years after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service first listed the Mexican gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act, this iconic creature remains in danger of extinction. Its recovery should be much further along. Instead, the wolf population in the wild dropped from 110 last year to just 97 in 2016.
These declining numbers make the actual anniversary, April 28, less a moment to celebrate than one to rededicate efforts to save the lobo. The federal government must do more to stop states such as New Mexico and Arizona from blocking reintroduction of wolves in the wild. Shamefully, just as the 40th anniversary was approaching, the state of New Mexico announced it would sue the federal government over its bold decision to release captive wolves despite state refusal to permit the reintroductions. The feds were correct in deciding to ignore an overly political state process and should prevail in court.

The service, despite New Mexico’s roadblocks, had announced it would release a pack of wolves this year and also was considering placing captive-born pups in wild packs. These moves are necessary to improve genetic diversity for wolves, which increases their survival chances. New Mexico is claiming such releases, without permits, would violate state law. We have argued before, and do again, that state officials are wrong to block reintroduction. Without a broader gene pool, extinction could be just around the corner. The goal of preserving the wolf must remain clearly in sight.

Otherwise, decades of work by so many to save the wolves could be lost. Before the campaign of extermination, wolves were plentiful in the American Southwest. But by 1976, Mexican gray wolves had disappeared from the United States and roamed only in Mexico. A captive breeding program started in the 1980s, and wolves were reintroduced into the wild starting in 1998. A handful of wolves bred in captivity became the ancestors of all Mexican gray wolves alive today. Extinction has been avoided — for now.

Poor decision-making over the years means the wolf still is not secure. Yet a vibrant wolf population could help bring back balance to ecosystems in the Southwest, biologists believe. Because wolves go after the old, sick and young, animal populations are strengthened and numbers kept at a healthy level. That prevents overgrazing and destruction of habitat for other creatures. Balance, in other words, is restored.

The release of captive lobos — who have genes that are missing in the wild population — would improve genetic diversity and give the wolves a fighting chance at survival. To make the releases happen, Fish and Wildlife officials must fight state pressure; that’s why the decision to move ahead with New Mexico releases despite the state’s refusal to issue permits is noteworthy. More captive releases are essential (there have been only four new Mexican gray wolves let go since 2009). Sadly, three of the releases are dead and the fourth is back in captivity.

But releases are just a beginning. Wolves need a wider recovery area, free of artificial limits placed upon them. Rules limiting the wild Mexican gray wolf population to 325 animals are too low — Fish and Wildlife’s own scientists have found that at least 750 wolves and a wider geographic range are necessary to move the species toward recovery. We need science, not emotion, to lead.

By ignoring politics, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can make decisions that will improve the survival odds of the Mexican gray wolf. Release more wolves from captivity. Expand the wolves’ range. Use the support of citizens — a majority of voters in New Mexico and Arizona polled want to see two new lobo populations established — to make these goals reality.

While there needs to be protection for ranchers worried about cattle losses, such concerns can’t be allowed to hound the wolf into extinction. State interests more concerned about big cattle than the lobo must no longer dominate the discussion, else the wolf will fade to black. The lobo is an icon of the West. Listing the species in 1976 saved it, but that reprieve will prove temporary without a more vigorous recovery plan. On this 40th anniversary of the wolf’s stay of execution, the country needs to rededicate itself to preserving this essential species.


source

More wolves, less politics in Colorado

By Jonathan Proctor and Heidi McIntosh

Guest Commentary

Posted:   04/23/2016

Trevor Starr holds his sign in support of the introduction of wolves into Colorado at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices on Jan. 13 in Denver. (Brent Lewis, Denver Post file)

April 28 marks 40 years since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Mexican gray wolf as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Yet today, lobos still struggle to survive.

But Colorado can help save them if we move beyond the politics that block successful recovery.
Forty years ago, lobos were likely extinct in the United States and extremely rare in Mexico. They were saved from extinction by seven survivors, which were placed in a captive breeding program. Today, the wild population numbers 97 in the U.S. and fewer than 25 in Mexico, all of which suffer from a significant lack of genetic diversity. As a result, the wild lobo is losing ground again, backsliding toward oblivion due to political pressure.

In order to survive, thrive and ultimately recover, the lobo needs three things.

First, there is an urgent need for more wolf releases from captivity. Because all of the lobos alive today are descendants of the original seven captive wolves, preserving this limited genetic heritage requires careful management. But ever since the lobo reintroduction program began in the late 1990s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has never released enough wolves from captivity. During the entire Obama administration, only four new wolves have been released. Of these, three are dead and one has been returned to captivity.

The lack of wolf releases over the years has impeded a steady increase in the lobos' numbers and triggered a continual loss of genetic diversity in the wild lobo population, resulting in smaller litters, lower pup survival and a population that is less able to adapt over time to changing conditions — a recipe for extinction.

The best available science tells us that in order to beat extinction, lobos need at least two additional core populations within dispersal distance of the current population in Arizona and New Mexico. Peer-reviewed, published scientific research indicates that the best remaining habitats for these new populations are in the Grand Canyon ecoregion, and in the southern Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

Our second point: Lobos need friendlier politicians in Colorado who are willing to govern by science, not myth. Gov. John Hickenlooper and the Parks and Wildlife Commission have actively opposed Mexican gray wolf releases in Colorado, a position that ignores the important role the wolves would play in maintaining healthy ecosystems. It also ignores the findings in Arizona that wolves there did not adversely impact elk populations or ruin the ranching industry.

Finally, Mexican gray wolves need a science-based recovery plan to get them out of the jam they are in and headed toward recovery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needs to go where the science leads it and stand firm against the relentless political pressure from state politicians and wildlife commissioners who would prefer a plan that keeps Mexican gray wolves out of needed recovery habitats, leaving the species on the brink of extinction.

Wolves are a critical component of healthy landscapes and wildlife populations, which is exactly what Coloradans want. What we don't need is continued catering to outdated anti-predator interests at the expense of endangered lobos and a healthy environment. Our politicians should recognize the will of the majority, and their decisions should be guided on the best available science.

Jonathan Proctor is the Rockies and Plains program director for Defenders of Wildlife. Heidi McIntosh is managing attorney of the Rocky Mountain regional office of Earthjustice. Both live in Denver.

 source

Reward for Information on Red Wolf Killing Comes Six Months Too Late

For Immediate Release, April 25, 2016 Contact: Brett Hartl, (202) 817-8121, Bhartl@biologicaldiversity.org Reward for Information on Red Wolf Killing Comes Six Months Too Late U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Failed to Offer Any Reward for Information on Seven Other Red Wolves Killed in 2015 RALEIGH, N.C.— In a long-delayed attempt to prosecute the illegal killing of an endangered red wolf six months ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it is offering a $2,500 reward toward for information leading to an arrest. A red wolf was illegally killed on Oct. 31, 2015 near Fairfield in Hyde County, N.C., by suspected gunshot. Today’s reward was the first offered by the Service in more than 18 months relating to an illegally killed red wolf, despite the fact that at least seven other red wolves were either confirmed or suspected to have been illegally shot in 2015. Since 2014 the Service has slowly dismantled the red wolf recovery program, including law-enforcement efforts to protect the species, resulting in this delay between the crime and the reward being announced. “Offering a reward six months after the crime occurred confirms that the federal government has turned its back on these critically endangered animals,” said Brett Hartl, endangered species policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “By waiting until the trail has gone cold to take action, the Service is pandering to special interests opposed to wolves instead of doing its job to protect one the nation’s most-imperiled species.” With as few as 45 wolves remaining in the wild, the red wolf is now one of the world’s most endangered carnivores. The species was declared endangered in 1973, and, in a final attempt to save it, 17 wild red wolves were captured for captive breeding. Wolf releases began in North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in the mid 1980s, and the population slowly grew to more than 130 wolves by 2012. But in 2014 the Service decided to curtail all aspects of the recovery program, in violation of the Endangered Species Act, including removing law-enforcement efforts to protect the species. Earlier this month the Center filed a lawsuit demanding that the Service release documents on its decision to abandon wolf recovery. “The Service needs to get biologists back on the ground doing recovery work, it needs to restart reintroductions of wolves from captivity back into the wild, and it needs to get law-enforcement officers out there to protect the remaining wolves,” said Hartl. The red wolf reintroduction program was once considered one of the world’s most innovative programs to restore a critically endangered carnivore. A 2014 report from the independent Wildlife Management Institute concluded that if the red wolf was going to recover, two additional populations would need to be established, with additional resources needed to build local stakeholder support for the red wolf recovery program. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

---

source

   

Atka's Twenty-Wolf Howl (video)

Critically endangered and ancient Himalayan wolf needs global conservation attention

Date:

April 25, 2016

Source:

Pensoft Publishers

Summary:

Although the Himalayan wolf is visibly distinct from its European cousin, its current distribution has mostly been a matter of assumption, rather than evident truth. Being the most ancient wolf lineage, known to science, its status has been assigned as Critically Endangered. Now, an international research team report the wolf from Nepal's largest protected area, thus proving its existence in the region.

---

A pair of Himalayan wolves in their natural habitat.

Credit: Madhu Chetri; CC-BY 4.0

 

Although the Himalayan wolf is visibly distinct from its European cousin, its current distribution has mostly been a matter of assumption, rather than evident truth. The most ancient wolf lineage, known to science, has been listed as Critically Endangered in the National Red List.

Now, an international research team, led by Madhu Chetri, graduate student at the Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, Norway, report the wolf from Nepal's largest protected area, thus confirming its existence in the country. Their findings are published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

When compared to the European wolf, this one stands out with its smaller size, unusually longer muzzle and stumpy legs. Another clearly distinctive feature is the white colouration around the throat, chest, belly and inner part of the limbs. On the other hand, its characteristic woolly body fur has given the subspecies the common name 'woolly wolf'.

However, the distinctiveness of the Himalayan wolf is far more than skin-deep. The authors note that recent studies have already revealed that these wolves have split as a separate branch within the 'tree of life' so long ago that they are divergent from the whole globally distributed wolf-dog clade. Having undergone such an isolated evolution, the Himalayan wolf is considered of particular conservation concern.

However, the populations are still suffering heavy mortality. As a part of their research, the authors conducted both formal and informal interviews with about four hundred local herders, livestock owners, nomads and village elite to find out more about the status of the human-wolf conflict, as well as their attitudes and perceptions. As a result, they found out that the wolves are considered to pose a threat for the local livelihoods. They were persecuted and killed as a means of depredation.

"These genetically distinct Himalayan wolves deserve special conservation attention, at the same time that the conservation of this species in a context of human-wildlife conflict is challenging," conclude the scientists. "A species action plan needs be formulated that develops mechanisms to minimize conflict, and strategies for motivating local communities towards wolf conservation."

---

Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Pensoft Publishers. The original story is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Madhu Chetri, Yadvendradev Jhala, Shant Raj Jnawali, Naresh Subedi, Maheshwar Dhakal, Bibek Yumnam. Ancient Himalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) lineage in Upper Mustang of the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. ZooKeys, 2016; 582: 143 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.582.5966

---

Pensoft Publishers. "Critically endangered and ancient Himalayan wolf needs global conservation attention." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 April 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160425112649.htm>.

 

 

 

#Wolf of the Day

  Wolf watching the snow fall by Tambako The Jaguar  

Rachel Tilseth, Wolves of Douglas County, Radio Show, 04-26-2016 (Don't Miss It!)

For full information and more details, check out Wolfdog Radio's website HERE!

Government probes shooting death of endangered red wolf

Apr 22, 2016

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Federal wildlife officials are investigating the shooting death of an endangered red wolf in Hyde County.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Tom MacKenzie said Friday a recent necropsy shows the wolf found last November had died of a gunshot.
It's generally illegal to shoot the wolves. Federal officials are offering a reward for information about this death.
Wildlife Service statistics show that 17 wolves died last year. The wild population is estimated to be 45 to 60 wolves.
The only wild population of the wolves is in eastern North Carolina.
The federal government has been studying whether to continue, modify or end the reintroduction program for the wolves.
The program's future has prompted intense debate, including a lawsuit accusing the federal government of failing to protect the dwindling population.

source

Lawsuit over Oregon wolf delisting ruled “moot”

Mateusz Perkowski

Capital Press

Published on April 22, 2016 4:06PM

An environmentalist legal challenge against Oregon’s decision to remove wolves from the state’s endangered species list has been dismissed due to legislation passed earlier this year.
Wolves were delisted by state wildlife regulators last year, but three environmental groups — Cascadia Wildlands, Center for Biological Diversity and Oregon Wild — asked the Oregon Court of Appeals to reverse that decision, claiming it wasn’t based on sound science.
Earlier this year, lawmakers passed House Bill 4040, which held that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife had followed the law in delisting wolves.
Opponents of the bill claimed it would deny the environmentalists their day in court. Supporters, on the other hand, argued the lawsuit was filed to pressure wildlife regulators while Oregon’s wolf recovery plan is updated.
Gov. Kate Brown signed the bill despite environmentalist calls for a veto in March, stating in a signing letter that the “trajectory of wolf populations in Oregon remains strong.”
The legislation was expected to nullify the legal challenge, which proved correct — on April 22, the Oregon Court of Appeals held that HB 4040 rendered the environmentalist petition moot.

 source