A Cry For The Wolves

It has happened. Despite the opposition of tens of thousands of wolf supporters, the Fish & Wildlife Service just made it much easier to kill wolves in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies region -- even while they remain protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The change to the so-called “10j” rule announced today lowers the bar for killing wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming -- opening the door to the slaughter of hundreds of wolves in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies region.

The states would only need to prove that wolves are a “major cause” of the inability of elk and deer to meet state management goals. Wolves could be killed even if they only have an effect on how elk herds move or behave -- not just if they reduce herd numbers.

Wildlife officials will be able to shoot, trap and kill endangered wolves -- even those that wander from the safety of Yellowstone National Park and other protected areas.

Remember, these wolves are still protected as an endangered species -- federal officials have yet to decide whether to remove protections under the Endangered Species Act for wolves in the Greater Yellowstone region, but the rule change allows officials to start killing wolves as soon as March.

Tell Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne that this rule change is unacceptable!