Last month Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director proclaimed that the State’s wildlife agency would cede its authority over
wolf-livestock conflicts to an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, euphemistically named Wildlife Services.
This agency uses a hammer approach with wildlife management (read our "War on Wildlife" Report for more details), killing literally hundreds of thousands of native carnivores every year.
This State's proclamation saw no public process and was not made by the body that governs Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Join WildEarth Guardians and tell Governor Brian Schweitzer that you don't support this back-room deal. Montana’s wildlife
belongs to the public and the wildlife-making decisions must stem from a
public-decision making process, not some imperial decree.
Under the March edict, this federal agency can kill any
wolf, any time, any day, and anywhere without first getting the State of Montana’s authorization. In other words, Wildlife Services was
handed an unlimited license to kill – and that will mean entire packs of wolves will be butchered.
This will make a dire situation for wolves in the Northern Rockies even worse.
Rather than requiring livestock growers to take responsible, non-lethal measures,
including removing carcasses of livestock that might have died from weather, disease, birthing problems or other causes, agribusiness can simply call upon Wildlife Services to kill wolves because the State's wildlife agency is no longer watching.
While you can count on WildEarth Guardians to continue our work to protect wolves and halt anti-wildlife policies, we and the wolves are counting on you to contact Governor Schweitzer today.
Together we can ensure wolves have a brighter future.
For the wild,
Wendy Keefover-Ring
Wildlife Program Director
WildEarth Guardians
wkeefoverring@wildearthguardians.org
