State-Sponsored Wolf Killing Ends in Idaho
Full news release
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2014/01/27/state-sponsored-wolf-killing-ends-in-idaho/
Faced with a looming deadline to defend its actions before a federal appeals court, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) announced this afternoon that it is halting its wolf extermination program in the Middle Fork region of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness as of today.
In mid-December 2013, IDFG hired a hunter-trapper to pack into central Idaho’s 2.4-million-acre Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness to eradicate two wolf packs, the Golden and Monumental packs, in the interest of inflating elk populations for outfitters and recreational hunters. The U.S. Forest Service, which administers the wilderness, approved the extermination program by authorizing use of a Forest Service cabin and airstrip to support wolf extermination activities.
The region of the Frank Church Wilderness where IDFG’s hunter-trapper was killing wolves is a remote area around Big Creek and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Even though this region hosts one of the lightest densities of hunters in the state, IDFG prioritized elk production over protection of the area’s wilderness character. The Forest Service failed to object to IDFG’s plans and instead actively assisted them.
Earthjustice represented long-time Idaho conservationist and wilderness advocate Ralph Maughan along with four conservation groups—Defenders of Wildlife, Western Watersheds Project, Wilderness Watch, and the Center for Biological Diversity—in the lawsuit challenging the wolf extermination program.
To date, nine wolves from the two packs have been killed by IDFG’s hired hunter-trapper, who entered the wilderness and began his wolf extermination program in mid-December. It is unknown how many wolves remain in the two packs.
(Great News!)
= new reply since forum marked as read
Sadly, he killed a bunch of wolves in both packs before they stopped it. And if you read the other stories at the link, you will see that Idaho has other slimy tricks to pull in the near future. Don't let them off the hook!! Everyone should be calling the government, all of them in Congress, the White House and the Cabinet to put the wolves back into protected status. inbreeding becomes a problem with a small genetic base, this has been happening at Isle Royale, MI... it can happen out here and I think that's what these cads have in mind, a genetically compromised population that would need to be wiped out for their own good.
"...by any means possible" is what the official stance for the state in their MOU describing how wolves would be "removed" from the state boundaries.
Never forget this, until the haters die off, this is what the wolves are up against... as are we.
