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Wolfwatcher

2 hours ago

Maximilian Werner: Wolves in the West are collateral damage of human selfishnessbit.ly/3N434GIThanks in part to what Idaho Fish and Game describes as the state’s “liberalized wolf hunting and trapping season,” Idaho is currently vying for the title of Most Barbaric when it comes to its treatment of wolves. The state has no bag limit or season for wolves on public land, which means that hunters can kill as many wolves as they want, provided they have tags for them. And what is the life of a wolf worth in the great state of Idaho? $13.50.To be fair, Idaho is not alone in its race to the bottom. While Utah hides and waits and Colorado approaches the starting line, Montana is neck and neck with the Potato State. Washington and Oregon aren’t far behind. And Wyoming, where wolves can be killed on sight without a license in over 85% of the state, hit rock bottom long ago. Let’s face it, the American West is a hostile and terrible place for wolves and other predators.Wolves in particular are imperiled far in excess of the challenges of everyday life. They live in a war zone, not as combatants, but as the collateral damage of human selfishness.One of the bullets used on wolves is disinformation.Tri-State Livestock News’ June 2 article “143 ewes, lambs killed by wolves near Shaw Mountain, Idaho,” may not have been the first news outlet to run the story, but it is emblematic of the skewed coverage to follow. The disinformation begins with the article’s lead, which becomes apparent after reading the first sentence of the article: “Two adult wolves trying to attack sheep.At Shaw mountain Tri-State Livestock News’ June 2 article “143 ewes, lambs killed by wolves near Shaw Mountain, Idaho,” may not have been the first news outlet to run the story, but it is emblematic of the skewed coverage to follow. The disinformation begins with the article’s lead, which becomes apparent after reading the first sentence of the article: “Two adult wolves trying to attack.No, the sheep piled up and smothered to death. The sheep themselves are responsible.Contrary to what the lead would have us believe, however, careful readers would likely conclude that the pile-up, and not the wolves, caused the sheep’s deaths.The wolves did not consume any sheep.This is a story this Wolfwatcher has seen before about the sheepbeing placed here and the owners knowing the risk, but they now have repeated this herd location.Not only that there are grizzlies in-this vicinity and it a prime areafor them advocates worry about how it will effect the bears.The agricultural community and its sympathizers’ penchant for distorting, omitting or ignoring information that doesn’t neatly comport with its worldview underscores the importance of responsible reporting.We as humans are guilty of being selfish and it is causing thelives and liberties that wolves have been given as membersof wildlife communities.Photo: : Deby Dixon ... See MoreSee Less

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Wolfwatcher

2 hours ago

The cull of the wild: Management for industry, not wolvestinyurl.com/mskatrs6Taxpayers have already shelled out more than $6 million for what many scientists, conservationists, and British Columbians have condemned as an “inhumane” slaughter of wolves that has dubious scientific support as a conservation measure for endangered caribou.The government of British Columbia’s controversial wolf cull program, which has killed 1,709 wolves since initiated in 2015, has been extended another five years.This program will continue to incur a grave additional cost — the suffering and lives of hundreds, if not thousands more wolves. This price is ethically and ecologically unjustifiable.The level of human-caused wolf mortality in B.C. can only be described as staggering. In addition to the number of wolves dying at the hands of lethal control programs, the B.C. government estimates that some 1,200 wolves are killed annually because of recreational hunting and trapping, all sanctioned and encouraged by the province.Although killing wolves might provide temporary relief for caribou, long-term and permanent recovery of endangered herds is an unlikely outcome. At best, culling wolves is wildlife management masquerading as conservation in an effort to avoid doing what is clearly necessary, i.e., protect caribou from the ecological harm caused by people and industry.Owing largely to combined adverse effects of industrial forestry and climate change, habitat required by many mountain caribou herds is unlikely to be viable in 50 to 100 years. With this outlook, is such a large experiment in wolf control, given its limited signal of efficacy and an unrelenting appetite of industry, worth the carnage? ... See MoreSee Less

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Taxpayers have already shelled out more than $6 million for what many scientists, conservationists, and British Columbians have condemned as an “inhumane” slaughter of wolves that has dubious scientific sup...

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