From The New York Times:
HELENA, Mont. — In addition to its spectacular landscape of mountains, rivers and prairie, Montana, the third least populous state in the country, has long been known for something else — wildlife policies that have protected animals of all sorts, including ones like grizzly bears and gray wolves that are often seen as threats to humans and to farming and ranching.
The state’s abundance and variety of wildlife has been a selling point for tourism, a source of pride to many Montanans and something that has set it apart from its less ecologically minded neighbors in the Mountain West. Even as its neighboring states of Idaho and Wyoming have aggressively reduced their wolf population, for example, Montana has managed its numbers largely through hunting seasons and targeted lethal control actions by wildlife biologists.
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Biden administration mum so far on returning gray wolves to endangered species list
From MichiganAdvance.com:
A controversial decision in the last months of the Trump administration to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list led to a massive overhunt in Wisconsin this year that Ojibwe tribal representatives said disrespected their wishes.
But there’s no indication yet that the Biden administration will attempt to roll back that move, despite an order the day President Joe Biden took office that departments across the government review decisions from the previous four years that were “damaging to the environment, unsupported by the best available science, or otherwise not in the national interest.” The order specifically cited the gray wolf delisting as one to reconsider.
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Wolves and livestock: Can they live in harmony in Germany?
From dw.com:
Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner chose a sheep farm in rural Brandenburg, a 90-minute drive from Berlin’s government district, to announce the launch of Germany’s new federal center for livestock and wolves.
“Just as the wolf is entitled to protection, so are our livestock,” Klöckner said. “We need them to maintain and preserve our cultural landscape.” The return of the wolf, she said, should not “lead to the existence of livestock being threatened in some regions of Germany.”
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East Meets West: Little Red Riding Hood Versus Japan’s Okuri-Inu
From ancient-origins.net:
Throughout history the dark of the night has always brought fear. The quiet forests, roads or paths were a place where imagination would run wild as to what goes bump in the night. In the West, Little Red Riding Hood was the story created to warn travelers about what could be prowling in these desolate and unprotected places. In Japan, the wood walker’s wolf companion came in the form of the Okuri-Inu.
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Wisconsin: With The Wolf Delisted, Farmers And Landowners Are Taking Steps To Remove Problem Wolves
From Wisconsin Public Radio:
Now that most gray wolves are delisted, some Wisconsin landowners and farmers are seeking to resolve conflicts by killing wolves on their property.
The Trump administration removed the wolf from the endangered species list in early January after announcing its intention to delist the animal last fall. When federal protections existed, federal and state wildlife managers were limited to using nonlethal measures to manage problem wolves that preyed on livestock or pets.
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British Columbia: South Islanders calling for pause on wolf hunting as pack sightings drop
From the Cowichan Valley Citizen in British Columbia:
Some Vancouver Island officials are calling for a moratorium on wolf hunting after claims an entire wolf pack was killed in the Sooke area by a trophy hunter.
There’s no confirmation by wildlife officials the pack was killed. Still, naturalist Gary Schroyen, who’s monitored and photographed the pack for several years, hasn’t seen the wolves for several weeks, Sam Webb, president of Wild Wise Sooke, said.
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Colorado: Montezuma County commissioners assert opposition to wolves
From The Journal in Cortez, Colorado:
The Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners continues to oppose gray wolf reintroduction into the Western Slope, a plan narrowly approved by Colorado voters in November.
Commissioners passed a resolution March 23 titled “Making Montezuma County A Sanctuary From Wolf Reintroduction.”
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British Columbia: Hunter denies claims she killed wolf pack in
From the Times Colonist:
A Victoria area hunter with an international reputation for trophy hunting is disputing claims that she wiped out an entire wolf pack in the Sooke area.
Sam Webb, president of Wild Wise Society, said it’s not confirmed, but the pack of about seven animals is believed to be dead because a naturalist who has been monitoring the pack for years using cameras on game trails hasn’t captured video of them in several weeks.
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Wisconsin DNR Continues Partnership With USDA To Manage Wolf Conflicts
From the Antigo Times in Wisconsin:
MADISON, Wis. – With the recent delisting of wolves from the federal endangered species list, some livestock farmers and pet owners are wondering how this change affects Wisconsin’s wolf conflict program. While the delisting has prompted some changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services (USDA-Wildlife Services) remains the first point of contact for reporting all wolf conflict incidents.
For livestock and pet owners dealing with a potential wolf-involved conflict, swift reporting to USDA-Wildlife Services remains critical for the collection of evidence and the timely implementation of conflict resolution options. Verification of any wolf-involved conflict is still required for reimbursement of damages or loss.
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Beware the return of the Iberian wolf, say Spain’s farmers
From BBC.com:
“This is where it happened,” says Felipe Luis Codesal, opening the gate to a three-hectare field on his farm in Zamora, north-west Spain.
One night last November, a pack of wolves got through the fence surrounding the field and attacked Mr Codesal’s sheep, many of which were pregnant. When he arrived the next morning, he found 11 animals had been killed. Over the following days, he says, another 36 sheep died from injuries sustained in that attack and miscarriages it triggered.
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In Montana, Bears and Wolves Become Part of the Culture Wars
From The New York Times:
HELENA, Mont. — In addition to its spectacular landscape of mountains, rivers and prairie, Montana, the third least populous state in the country, has long been known for something else — wildlife policies that have protected animals of all sorts, including ones like grizzly bears and gray wolves that are often seen as threats to humans and to farming and ranching.
The state’s abundance and variety of wildlife has been a selling point for tourism, a source of pride to many Montanans and something that has set it apart from its less ecologically minded neighbors in the Mountain West. Even as its neighboring states of Idaho and Wyoming have aggressively reduced their wolf population, for example, Montana has managed its numbers largely through hunting seasons and targeted lethal control actions by wildlife biologists.
Click here for the full story.