Double-Barreled Attack on Wolves

December 22, 2011

“Yesterday, the Obama Administration, via the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced a final rule de-listing wolves in the Great Lakes Region, officially removing all federal protection for wolves in the states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. State wildlife management officials, along with the trophy hunting, trapping, and ranching lobbies—and the politicians beholden to them—have been clamoring for years to de-list wolves, and only a series of successful HSUS lawsuits have prevented that from happening. We’ll now be examining our legal options and may again urge a federal court to block this premature removal of wolves from the list of threatened species. 

The HSUS and a coalition of conservation groups succeeded in a series of legal actions to block de-listing in the Northern Rockies, but eight months ago, Congress de-listed that population through the unprecedented step of attaching a rider to a massive budget bill. As we predicted, sport hunters and trappers have proceeded, hastily and recklessly, to slaughter wolves in Idaho and Montana, and the killing is now set to ramp up next in Wyoming.

Wolves in the United States have suffered a long history of human persecution, with state and federal officials and private citizens amassing a grisly and enormous body count. These actions over time resulted in the extirpation of wolves from everywhere in the Lower 48 except the far northern reaches of Minnesota and Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. Now, with wolf populations allowed to reclaim just a small portion of their habitats, the same anti-wolf hysteria of the 19th century that nearly exterminated them has resurfaced, with irrational claims being made about the impacts that wolves have on deer, elk, and livestock populations. These notions are not grounded on fact, but upon the mythology of the wolf as a rapacious predator that slaughters everything in its path.

Even with protection under the Endangered Species Act in place for some wolves over the last 35 years, wolves now occupy less than five percent of their historical range in the lower 48 states. There are some 4,000 wolves in the Northern Great Lakes and fewer than half that number in the Northern Rockies. The listing of these wolves under the provisions of the ESA has shielded them from run-away exploitation, but the political pressure to de-list them has been great, and the resolve of the Bush and Obama administrations to protect these animals proved weak.

The anti-wolf crusaders have staked out an anti-science, anti-ecological posture. There is superabundant scientific evidence that wolves have had an enormously beneficial ecological impact in the range they inhabit. They cull weak, old, and sick animals from populations, reducing total numbers of prey populations, and thereby mitigating the browsing on vegetation and bringing great vitality to the entire ecosystem. With less grazing pressure, new saplings have taken hold to form young groves. Stream flow and quality has improved. Other predators, like coyotes, have also been reduced in density, and there’s been a cascade effect that’s restored many of the original characteristics and dynamics of the animal and plant and forest communities.

Still, wolf recovery in the Great Lakes region is far from complete. And hostile state management plans in the region—some of which would allow a nearly 50 percent reduction of the region’s wolf population—make it likely that the recovery that has thus far been achieved could be reversed by high levels of trapping, poisoning and recreational hunting.

Claims of wolf depredation on livestock are often sensationalized. Last year in Wisconsin wolf depredations occurred on only 47 farms out of 7,000 in the state, and only 63 cattle and 6 sheep were killed. Many people complain about impacts from abundant deer populations—whether deer-auto collisions or browsing on commercial or ornamental shrubbery—but somehow the beneficial social and economic factors of having predators in the ecosystem are omitted from their analysis. It’s plain that the economics work in favor of wolf protection, not against it.

A small, vocal segment, driven by an irrational hatred of wolves, is driving the decision-making. Political leaders in these states are all too ready to bow to the pressure and to buy into the rhetoric and false framing, and it’s the wolves who suffer. It’s yet another example of adverse policy actions by this Administration on animal welfare and conservation. It talks a good game of science-based decision-making and sound policy, but in the end kowtows to traditional special interests (most of which will never vote for Obama). There’s not much “change” to be found, but just more of the same old ways of Washington.”

**Special thanks to “The Humane Society” for providing this information http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2011/12/double-barreled-attack-on-wolves.html#.TvPjydTB1gg.facebook

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IT’S FINAL: Lummis Wolf Delisting Rider Out!

VICTORY WOLF PRESERVATIONISTS!!

“The Cynthia Lummis Wolf Rider is out of the spending bill! This is a real victory for wolves and wolf advocates!!

Congress  passed a similar rider last Spring which removed ESA protections from wolves in the Northern Rockies, blocking legal challenges. Now the rider is being litigated as unconstitutional in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Because of that rider we have two brutal wolf hunts in Idaho and Montana, with wolves dying daily and an escalation of the brutality, the likes of which most of us have ever witnessed directed at an animal. The Endangered Species Act has been weakened. Maybe Congress didn’t have the stomach for a repeat of that with the 2012 elections looming.

F0r today, wolves in Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan are safe. It’s not often we can  bring good news, lets savor it and live to fight another day!

What made the cut?

Wolves”

Special thanks to “Wolf Warriors” for providing this information! (http://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/its-final-lummis-wolf-delisting-rider-out/)

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Read Maggie’s story and learn how you can help the family honor Maggie and protect others from similar tragedy.

Read Maggie’s story and learn how you can help the family honor Maggie and protect others from similar tragedy.   Watch her families heart felt story of that dreadful moment….and share this with everyone you know!  These traps are far from humane and many animals suffer much before taking their last breathe.  A huge thank you to “Predator Defense” for letting the McCurtain family tell their story…http://www.predatordefense.org/traps_maggie.htm

Family’s border collie strangled to death in trap near yard

“In a pristine suburb of Portland, OR, a family’s border collie named Maggie was killed by a deadly trap set in a community common area just 45 feet from their back yard. This is an area where kids play. This trap could have easily injured or killed a child.
No compliant warning signs were posted, nor were instructions for removing the trap or whom to call for help. The trap’s placement violated both Oregon state law and the internal directives of Wildlife Services, the government agency responsible. This crime was committed with the help of your tax dollars. “

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Victory! Tiger Truck Stop’s Permit Revoked

“On Wednesday, Judge Michael Caldwell of the East Baton Rouge District Court ruled in favor of a motion filed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) to free Tony, a siberian-bengal tiger, from his concrete prison at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, LA, where he exists as an attraction for his owner Michael Sandlin.

The ruling will force the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to revoke the permit that has allowed Sandlin to keep Tony for all these years. Not only will the current permit be revoked, but the LDWF will also be prohibited from issuing the Tiger Truck Stop any new permits to keep tigers.

Tony has lived at the Tiger Truck Stop since 2000, he’s been alone there since 2003. His plight has garnered the attention of travelers, animal lovers and celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Kristin Bauer who have been fighting for years to have him freed from the cage where he’s been stuck surrounded by the constant sound and smell of trucks and diesel engines.

Last May, Caldwell issued a similar ruling granting the ALDF’s request for a permanent injunction against the LDWF, preventing them from renewing Sandlin’s annual permit as of December on the grounds that it was illegal for them to issue one in the first place, but the Louisiana Court of Appeals overturned the ruling on the basis that Sandlin should have been part of the lawsuit, which led to a new trial.

“We are thrilled that the court made the right decision,” said ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells. “We will continue to do everything we can to make sure Tony’s next home is a reputable, accredited sanctuary that can give Tony the life he deserves.”

Special thanks to  http://www.care2.com/causes/victory-tiger-truck-stops-permit-revoked.html#ixzz1fWpwNhuW for providing this information.

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Maggie’s Death: A Crime

Wolf Preservation is outraged and condemes the use of these death traps! 

Family’s border collie dies of strangulation and broken neck in government trap set 45 feet from back yard!

WILDLIFE SERVICES, A DIVISION OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRIGULTURE, ANIMAL, PLANT, AND HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICES IS RESPONSIBLE!!

“Imagine a federal wildlife agency setting deadly “instant-kill” traps within 45 feet of your suburban back yard where your children play. Imagine that one of those government-set traps kills your beloved dog and no one returns for the trap, or to even say they’re sorry.

This sounds like the kind of government abuse and secrecy one would see exposed on “60 Minutes,” and it should be. However, that is not the case in Gresham, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, where the government has made every effort to intentionally hide such a tragedy.

The agency responsible? Wildlife Services, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal, Plant, and Health Inspection Services.

Please read Maggie’s story below, watch the video interview with the McCurtains, and email “60 Minutes,” your favorite news show, or your local media today. Give them a link to this story and ask them to do an investigative expose on this case and the USDA’s barbaric, wasteful and indiscriminate Wildlife Services program. If you can help us spread the word by making a financial contribution, donate today.

Maggie’s Horrifying Death

Maggie, the McCurtain family’s black, brown and white border collie, was only seven years old on August 27, 2011, the morning she died just a few feet from her fenced-in back yard. It was an unusually warm morning, which made her routine visit outdoors that much more inviting, and the scents outside that much stronger. For reasons unknown, the backyard gate was open that morning. Within minutes of stepping outside, Maggie—who loved to swim and camp with the family and play fetch with Squeaks the kitten—would have her neck broken and windpipe crushed.

About 9 a.m. Denise McCurtain, Maggie’s guardian, heard frantic knocking at her door. A neighbor asked if the family had a black and white dog. She said she’d seen one by the water but it wasn’t moving. The dog was Maggie. She was immobile because her head was caught in the vice grip of a Conibear “instant-kill” trap. She was still breathing, her eyes flashing in fear and pain from the more than 90 pounds of pressure that slammed the trap’s jaws shut around her neck when she stuck her nose in to sniff the bait.

No one knew how to get the trap off Maggie. There were no instructions on the device, no numbers to call, no signs with any useful information posted in the area. After minutes that felt like hours, Maggie’s family and neighbors located pliers and screwdrivers and were able to move the trap’s springs enough to get her head out. But it was too late. Maggie’s violent struggle was over. She lapsed into shock and gave in to death.

The three McCurtain children—Meg (12), Brandon (14), and Zachary (9)—were still asleep when Maggie died. Covered in mud and dirt, with cut and bruised feet from running barefoot to Maggie’s side, Denise was faced with the horrible question:

How do you wake your children and tell them their best friend and faithful companion is dead?

After hearing the shocking news, the children— overcome with grief—kissed, petted, and hugged the lifeless body of their beloved friend in a final farewell and watched from the windows as their father Doug took her lifeless body to the veterinarian to be examined.

Within these few hours the world was permanently altered for the McCurtains. The fenced-in yard had always felt like a safe zone for Maggie and the kids. But when the unimaginable happened just a few feet away, those feelings of safety disappeared.

The deadly Conibear trap was set just 45 feet from the McCurtain’s back yard in a common area where children play, feed ducks, look for frogs, and retrieve escaped soccer balls. The trap was set to kill Nutria, aquatic rodents which are considered pests. A homeowners’ association email had notified neighbors that these traps would be placed along Cedar Lake, with instructions not to disturb them, but included no information as to the type of traps being used, nor any warning of danger they posed to pets or people, and no information on how to remove/open the traps.

The result: a beloved pet struggling and dying in agony; her family and neighbors traumatized and hysterical, trying desperately to help.

The Conibear trap was concealed and set in front of a live box trap. Children had been playing in the area, unaware that the deadly devices were there, camouflaged with leaves and grass.

Posted nearby was a single sign, a 3-inch circle, stapled to a short wooden stake, indicating that the traps were federal property, and tampering or removing was a federal offense. There was no warning/danger alert about what the traps actually do. There was no information about how to remove the trap, no license or permit information. Nothing about what to do or who to call if the worst happened, if a child or pet were caught. Nothing.

At least two traps were in place by 5:30 that morning, Maggie was dead by 9 a.m. Within a few hours of her death, the trap that killed Maggie along with the live box traps, were gone. The McCurtains found another kill trap behind their house a couple of days later.

Where Could the Family Turn for Help?

Although Denise McCurtain was without guidance and had no idea how to get help, she kept a detailed record of what she was told and by whom. She took photographs of the yard and of the traps. She contacted the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), who referred her to the Oregon State Police.

A state trooper came to the McCurtain’s home and took a statement. After waiting a reasonable period of time, the trooper contacted them again. Neither Doug nor Denise was happy with his response. When Denise asked him why such dangerous traps were used in the first place, she was told that the government-paid Wildlife Services trapper was impatient and wanted to speed up the process. While she had the department’s sympathies, she was told that the trapper had done nothing criminal (neglectful maybe), but there was nothing the authorities could do. The empathetic trooper suggested they contact an attorney.

While it is difficult to get public records from state and federal agencies, this is especially true regarding Wildlife Services. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is designed to force federal government agencies to fully or partially disclose government documents. However, the FOIA process is daunting—even for experienced organizations like Predator Defense—and for individuals it can be overwhelming.

Those who chose to file a federal torte claim for compensation are limited to the value of property lost, including pets (pets are considered property, not persons). The amount of the claim for most pets is relatively small and a person could spend thousands on an attorney trying to get compensation. The emotional loss is impossible to measure. Furthermore, fear of retaliation from Wildlife Services trappers is real.

In many cases, people simply give up because constantly revisiting the trauma of the loss of their beloved pet is too intense and because the specter and expense of taking on the federal government is too frightening. It took the McCurtains six weeks just to find us at Predator Defense. We filed a FOIA request on their behalf and arranged for an attorney to represent them. As of this writing (November 2011), Denise has not heard so much as an expression of sympathy from the homeowners’ association or from Wildlife Services. 

About Conibear Traps

The Conibear “instant-kill” trap kills by breaking the neck and strangling the victim. The one that killed Maggie had a 9” jaw spread; a trap of this size is almost impossible to open by hand. Conibear traps are square, with two rotating jaws, the larger version (the one Maggie died in) has two springs. You can see an animal-eye view of the Conibear trap by watching this video.

Conibear traps are used to capture and instantly kill species—such as badger, beaver, bobcat, coyote, fisher, lynx, nutria, otter, and raccoon—but they are indiscriminate. This means that pets, endangered species, and other non-target animals, such as Maggie, step into their jaws.

According to the manufacturer’s website, Oneidavictor.com, these traps “should NOT, however, be used where non-target animals are at risk for capture” (original text in bold). The traps are strong enough to maim, injure, and kill a child.

**Special thanks to http://www.predatordefense.org/traps_maggie.htm for providing this information.

 

 

 

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Elk Foundation favors extending wolf hunt

“MISSOULA, MT — If Montana hunters don’t reach the statewide quota for wolves by the December 31 deadline, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation wants to extend the season.

“RMEF believes that it is very important that hunters be allowed as much time as possible during these winter months to harvest the statewide quota of 220 wolves,” said RMEF President and CEO David Allen.

When the big game season ended on November 27, hunters took 100 wolves of the statewide quota of 220.

In a November 28 letter to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Allen wrote growing wolf populations have an adverse effect on elk and other big game herds, especially in some specific areas around the state. He also suggested the agency look at other “means of take” to maximize opportunities for hunters to meet harvest quotas.

“It is very unlikely that sport hunting will provide adequate control of wolf populations going forward. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the public should prepare for more aggressive wolf control methods, perhaps as early as summer 2012,” added Allen.

Unlike in Montana, Idaho hunters may use electronic calling to try to lure in a wolf. They can also trap wolves. Baiting wolves in Idaho is illegal, but hunters may incidentally take a wolf while bear baiting.”

**Special thanks to Mark Holyoak (KPAX News) for providing this information!

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