Wolf shows Endangered Species Act is working, but de-listing lets fox guard the chickencoop
On July 16, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced in Minnesota their plan to remove the "eastern population" of gray wolves from the endangered species list. This will include not only all of the wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, but also the non-existent wolf populations in the Dakotas and the states east of Michigan.
What ought to be a celebration of a conservation success is instead a cruel hoax. The state's proposed management plan for our wolves amounts to little more than open season. In the southwestern two-thirds of the state, any property owner or their agent may kill a wolf at any time without cause. In the so-called "wolf protection zone" in the northeastern one-third of the state, wolves may be killed if the property owner "believes" they pose a threat to their domestic animals. Under this plan, wolves may be shot, caught in leg-hold traps, strangled in neck snare traps, or killed by pretty much any other means except poisoning or aerial shooting. The state can even hire trappers to kill wolves at $150 each. The management plan specifically rejects the notion of protecting critical habitat for wolves.
Meanwhile, the wolf population in Minnesota is declining, apparently because of mange and parvo virus. The wolf populations in Wisconsin and Michigan, in part, are kept stable by an influx of wolves emigrating from Minnesota to find territory. If our wolf numbers continue to decline, either by disease or increased killing under our "management plan", the populations in those states may fall below minimums needed for stability.
Sadly, the Bush Administration, with their disgraceful record on protecting our nation's wildlife, has declared Minnesota's management plan acceptable. And, by lumping all of the wolves in states from the Dakotas to New England together and removing all federal protections, the Bush Administration is making a mockery of the idea of wolf recovery in northern Maine, the Adirondacks, and other acceptable habitat.
Attitudes towards wolves are still being driven largely by myths. With over 2,000 wolves in the state, there is no record of a wolf ever attacking a human in Minnesota (or in the U.S., for that matter). Compare that to the number of people attacked annually by domestic dogs or other animals. And while wolves occasionally kill livestock, the numbers are far less than most people imagine. Less than one percent of farms within wolf range suffer losses and less than one tenth of one percent of animals raised in that area are killed (averaging 10 cows, 53 calves, 22 sheep, 526 turkey, 1 horse, 6 chickens, and 8 dogs, according to the US Dept. of Agriculture).
If properly managed and protected by the state, the wolves in Minnesota could and should be delisted, because they have thrived with protection, and our experience has shown they can co-exist with humans. But, with our wolves looking down the barrel of a gun, into the jaws of a trap, or worse, under the state's terrible management plan, delisting should be opposed.
Sincerely,
Ginny Yingling
Sierra Club
Member, national Wolf Working Group