International Wolf Center will follow potential effects of delisting wolves from Endangered Species Act
Contact:
Chad Richardson, communications director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-560-7374, ext. 225
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — The protected status of gray wolves across the United States may soon change, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday. If wolves are federally delisted they will be managed by each state, likely paving the way for wolf hunting to resume in states with large wolf populations.
Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced the proposal Wednesday at a wildlife conference in Denver. A public comment period will follow before any final decisions can be made on the proposed change.
Wolves are listed in the Endangered Species Act and are federally protected throughout the 48 contiguous states except for a few western states where Congress delisted them (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Oregon and eastern Washington). Oregon, Washington and California protect their wolves by state law.
State wildlife officials estimate that wolves number approximately 2,650 in Minnesota, and another 1,500 live between Wisconsin and Michigan. Wolves were to be delisted when the population reached 1,250 for five years in Minnesota and 100 between Wisconsin and Michigan, but court battles have kept wolves returning to the endangered species list.
Should delisting occur, what is next for wolves in these three states? The International Wolf Center, based in Minnesota, will consult with biologists across the states to keep people informed about the potential effects of this delisting. Some of the questions the Center will pose to biologists are:
- How could current state management policies change after the delisting?
- How would removing the gray wolf from endangered or threatened status impact other species in their ecosystems?
- How could transferring management of gray wolves to the states impact the future of wolf populations in neighboring states where populations are low or non-existent?
- What does delisting mean for humans, livestock and pets that come in conflict with wolves?
- What threats to wolf populations would come into play?
- What wolf-free wildlands might allow for additional wolf population expansion?
- How would this change impact human tolerance of wolves where wolf-human conflict has been more frequent?
Feedback
The International Wolf Center advocates on behalf of wolves through education – reaching an audience of nearly two million people annually who visit its website, discover its education center in Ely, Minnesota, read “International Wolf” magazine, or participate in its many outreach or interactive classroom experiences. To remain effective in being a source for science-based information about wolves, the Center does not take positions in matters of wolf management—but rather, encourages public dialogue and understanding of these often complex and controversial issues.
While education may not translate into immediate action, it does result in re-evaluation and change. As people gain knowledge and appreciation of wolves and their place as predators in the ecosystem, they become interested in wolf survival and recovery. Decades of research have unveiled the bioscience of this species. That research, used in public education, has motivated people to allow wolves to begin reclaiming portions of their former habitat, and has generated considerable public support for these engaging animals. The Center’s passion for wolves is at work throughout the world every day through the millions of people who have become inspired and involved as a result of its outreach and education initiatives.
Education is one of the most effective ways to influence public attitudes, and that’s critical to the future survival of wolf populations.
With that in mind, the Center is asking its members and the public to share what they value about wolves. The responses gathered may be published on Facebook, on wolf.org or in International Wolf magazine.
Click this link to share your comments with us: bit.ly/wolfvalues.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.
For more information about the International Wolf Center, visit www.wolf.org.
WILDLIFE OFFICIALS CONFIRM ROGUE PACK WOLVES RESPONSIBLE FOR PUPPY DEATH
From KDRV.com:
BOUNDARY BUTTE, Ore. — Wolves from Southern Oregon’s local pack are believed responsible for the death of a 16-week-old puppy on a rancher’s land last week, according to the latest wolf depredation from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).
On Friday morning, a livestock owner in the Boundary Butte area found one of his “mastiff-mix pups” dead near his home and reported it to ODFW. He said that he’d last seen the dog alive at midnight the same morning when his dogs began barking.
Click here for the full story.
Wolves on the rise in Belgium
From The Brussels Times:
Click here for the full story.
Why is Georgia Land of The Wolves?
From the Georgian Journal:
Georgia is described as Land of The Wolves on the map published by the Culture Trip. The Culture Trip is a start-up inspiring millions of people to explore the world’s culture and creativity.
Click here for the full story.
Africa’s rarest carnivores face threats from disease-carrying dogs
From Mother Nature Network:
A thick layer of frost blankets the landscape, creating a gauzy haze over the tans and pale greens of the Ethiopian Highlands. Amidst the frozen stillness, a rust-colored lump dusted in rime stirs. A black nose appears from beneath a thick tail, and two ears twitch atop an elegantly long head. At last, the wolf rises, arches its back in a long stretch, and shakes. Nearby, several other pack members rise as well, touching noses in greeting. Pups, just weeks old, emerge from a shallow den and begin playing, scrambling over rocks, tugging at each other’s tails. As the sky brightens, the adults trot off to patrol the edge of the group’s territory and begin the day’s hunt.
Click here for the full story.
‘It’s that black or white’: Wolves must die to save Canada’s caribou
From the Calgary Herald:
EDMONTON — An extensive study of caribou herds across British Columbia and Alberta suggests a way to reverse a long and steady decline of the endangered species — kill more wolves and moose, and pen pregnant cows.
“It’s go hard or go home,” said Rob Serrouya, a University of Alberta biologist and lead author of the study released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Click here for the full story.
British Columbia Interior hunting groups under fire for ‘wolf-whacking’ contests
From GlobalNews.ca:
Environmentalists are calling on the B.C. government to intervene after learning of at least three Interior hunting groups promoting contests for killing various predators.
An open letter signed by 47 members of pro-animal groups — as well as another letter from Bears Matter dated March 2 — has been sent to Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Doug Donaldson, demanding the end to all “wildlife-killing contests” across the province.
Click here for the full story.
Wolves Kill Two Women In Tajikistan After Villagers’ Hunting Rifles Confiscated
From RFERL.org:
DUSHANBE — Wolves have killed two women in eastern Tajikistan, prompting complaints from residents that they have been unable to defend themselves against wolf attacks since local authorities confiscated their hunting rifles.
Umeda Yusupova, a spokeswoman for the Tajik government’s Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense, told RFE/RL that the deadly wolf attack took place in the early morning hours of March 7 in Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous region.
Click here for the full story.
Wolves reach Oregon Coast, accused in ‘probable’ kill of 22 sheep
From the Statesman Journal:
Gray wolves have apparently reached the Oregon Coast, but their arrival hasn’t been entirely peaceful.
State wildlife officials say wolves “probably” killed 22 sheep in Curry County during four attacks in late February and early March.
Click here for the full story.
If federal protections are removed for wolves, what’s next?
International Wolf Center will follow potential effects of delisting wolves from Endangered Species Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — The protected status of gray wolves across the United States may soon change, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday. If wolves are federally delisted they will be managed by each state, likely paving the way for wolf hunting to resume in states with large wolf populations.
Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced the proposal Wednesday at a wildlife conference in Denver. A public comment period will follow before any final decisions can be made on the proposed change.
Wolves are listed in the Endangered Species Act and are federally protected throughout the 48 contiguous states except for a few western states where Congress delisted them (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Oregon and eastern Washington). Oregon, Washington and California protect their wolves by state law.
State wildlife officials estimate that wolves number approximately 2,650 in Minnesota, and another 1,500 live between Wisconsin and Michigan. Wolves were to be delisted when the population reached 1,250 for five years in Minnesota and 100 between Wisconsin and Michigan, but court battles have kept wolves returning to the endangered species list.
Should delisting occur, what is next for wolves in these three states? The International Wolf Center, based in Minnesota, will consult with biologists across the states to keep people informed about the potential effects of this delisting. Some of the questions the Center will pose to biologists are:
Feedback
The International Wolf Center advocates on behalf of wolves through education – reaching an audience of nearly two million people annually who visit its website, discover its education center in Ely, Minnesota, read “International Wolf” magazine, or participate in its many outreach or interactive classroom experiences. To remain effective in being a source for science-based information about wolves, the Center does not take positions in matters of wolf management—but rather, encourages public dialogue and understanding of these often complex and controversial issues.
While education may not translate into immediate action, it does result in re-evaluation and change. As people gain knowledge and appreciation of wolves and their place as predators in the ecosystem, they become interested in wolf survival and recovery. Decades of research have unveiled the bioscience of this species. That research, used in public education, has motivated people to allow wolves to begin reclaiming portions of their former habitat, and has generated considerable public support for these engaging animals. The Center’s passion for wolves is at work throughout the world every day through the millions of people who have become inspired and involved as a result of its outreach and education initiatives.
Education is one of the most effective ways to influence public attitudes, and that’s critical to the future survival of wolf populations.
With that in mind, the Center is asking its members and the public to share what they value about wolves. The responses gathered may be published on Facebook, on wolf.org or in International Wolf magazine.
Click this link to share your comments with us: bit.ly/wolfvalues.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.
For more information about the International Wolf Center, visit www.wolf.org.
U.S. wildlife officials plan to remove protections for gray wolves
From PBS.org:
BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. wildlife officials plan to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states, a move certain to re-ignite the legal battle over a predator that’s rebounding in some regions and running into conflicts with farmers and ranchers, an official told The Associated Press.
Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt was expected to announce the proposal during a Wednesday speech before a wildlife conference in Denver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Spokesman Gavin Shire said in an interview with the AP.
Click here for the full story.