Idaho Governor Calls for Gray Wolf Kill

[PatrickHenry]

ENN: Environmental News Network [[Today's News Full Story ]]

Idaho's governor said Thursday he will support public hunts to kill all but 100 of the state's gray wolves after the federal government strips them of protection under the Endangered Species Act. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter told The Associated Press that he wants hunters to kill about 550 gray wolves. That would leave about 100 wolves, or 10 packs, according to a population estimate by state wildlife officials. The 100 surviving wolves would be the minimum before the animals could again be considered endangered. "I'm prepared to bid for that first ticket to shoot a wolf myself," Otter said earlier Thursday during a rally of about 300 hunters. Otter complained that wolves are rapidly killing elk and other animals essential to Idaho's multimillion-dollar hunting industry. The hunters, many wearing camouflage clothing and blaze-orange caps, applauded wildly during his comments. Suzanne Stone, a spokeswoman for the advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife in Boise, said Otter's proposal would return wolves to the verge of eradication. "Essentially he has confirmed our worst fears for the state of Idaho: That this would be a political rather than a biological management of the wolf population," Stone said. "There's no economic or ecological reason for maintaining such low numbers. It's simple persecution." Wolves were reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains a decade ago after being hunted to near-extinction. More than 1,200 now live in the region. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to start removing federal protections from gray wolves in Montana and Idaho in the next few weeks.

Somebody needs to tell the wolves that the neighborhood has just gotten more dangerous...

[kubedawg]

Somebody needs to slap some sense into these stupid hunters and tell them their multimillion-dollar hunting industry isn't as important than the lives of wolves to control the elk population. Although the endangered species list is a crock of sh*t, I don't agree on hunting for sport.

[Jack]

For a year while living in Idaho I had an unexpected but very welcome opportunity to raise a domestically bred gray wolf used in educational programs around the state. She was a fascinating animal. Eventually I'm not sure who I came to dislike more; the new-agers who wanted to pretend she was some sort of mystical goddess figure or the hunters who thought she should die so that they could hunt all the local wildlife without competition.

No amount of education could dislodge the hunter's ignorance. They said the wolves (they had just released the first packs back into the Sawtooth range-this would have been 1987 or so) would kill all the elk and buffalo. We said that they'd only kill the ones they could catch, usually the elderly and sick. They said wolves would attack locals. We said there isn't an authenticated account of a healthy wolf attacking a human in the U.S. I'd haul out one or more of the nearly 30 books in my wolf collection to show studies and research that made it clear the hunter's were believing myths handed down for ages. On and on, point-counterpoint with no positive result.

When Teton moved on to another part of the state, I decided to "retire" from the wolf education program. Being an atheist in a Baptist church is nothing compared to the frustration of being a wolf advocate in Idaho. Their unofficial slogan is, "Idaho is what America was". Ironically, they don't appreciate how true that is. They're living in the past so much I'm surprised they allow motor vehicles. I still have family there, so I know at least a few citizens aren't total luddites. But with my ever-increasing inability to suffer fools quietly, I'm damned glad I don't live there now. (my little brother still does, though, and with his liberal outlook, acerbic wit and dislike of stupid people I know someone is going to keep trying to inject the real world into that close-knit community)

I have no doubt that they'll joyfully kill off all the wolves they want. They'll no doubt manage to kill a few domestic dogs, several cows and maybe even a few of their own as well. It's pathetic that 21st century people would fear nature and relish killing other lifeforms so much.

This is one topic that fires me up even more than the religious ones. People who enjoy killing make me cautious and nervous. Ignorant people who enjoy killing should scare everyone.

[G. Adams]

They should leave the wolves alone. I would pay more to have a tracker get me into a position to watch wolves in the wild than to shoot elk.

To be honest, I don't have much of a defence for my position in support of wolves, but wolves are like dogs to me. They enjoy a position above other animals and should be respected.

Of course if they want to catch them and send some to the UK I'd be happy. Scotland could house a good few wolves, and whichever forest it is down south with wild boar could probably take one pack.