Allie’s Answers

Last week, the U.S. Government announced that the Gray Wolves of the Northern Rockies will be taken off of the endangered species list.  In response, eleven conservation groups plan to follow this case through to federal court in a law suit against this violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Once the wolves are officially de-listed, an act which will hopefully be postponed due to the law suit, control of the wolves reverts to the individual states and local Native American tribes.

There are currently about 1,500 wolves (but only 100 breeding pairs) in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.  It is thought that at least 2-5,000 wolves are needed to ensure a strong continuation of these wolves.  Despite this, all three states are in the process of developing sporting hunt programs to “control” the wolf population. Each state has only committed to preserving 15 breeding pairs and 150 wolves, but the pack structure of a wolf family is complex and stretches beyond the bonds of breeding pairs and offspring.

According to Defenders of Wildlife:

“Wolves live, travel and hunt in packs of 4-7 animals on average. Packs include the mother and father wolves, called the alphas, their pups and several other subordinate or young animals. The alpha female and male are the pack leaders that track and hunt prey, choose den sites and establish the pack’s territory. Wolves develop close relationships and strong social bonds. They often demonstrate deep affection for their family and may even sacrifice themselves to protect the family unit.”

Defenders of Wildlife recommends calling the Fish and Wildlife Service to register a comment about the de-listing.  The phone number is 1-800-344-9453.  You’ll want to press zero to speak with a customer service representative.  If you don’t know what to say, follow the short script listed on defenders.org.  When you’re done, register your call on the site.

I just called.  It was quick and painless.   If you’re phone shy, e-mail them at westerngraywolf@fws.gov.

 The Fish and Wildlife Service maintains that the wolves are thriving and ready to be taken off the list.

I understand that wolves and livestock don’t mix, but I wish there was a focus on deterring wolves from approaching farmland instead of destroying them.

Source, Source, Source, Source

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2008 at 10:20 pm and is filed under Do Something. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.