Demand Justice for Wolf Slain in Utah
Last month a hunter in Utah shot and a killed a radio-collared female gray wolf. Tragically, this lone female was likely the same wolf spotted in recent months near the North rim of Grand Canyon National Park—the first wolf seen in the area in over 70 years.
Wolf lovers named her "Echo" and delighted in the fact that she had travelled over 450 miles from Wyoming to take up residence near Grand Canyon. But hopes of seeing gray wolves reestablished near the park died when the hunter gunned her down, claiming to have mistaken Echo for a much smaller coyote.
Wolves are an endangered species in Utah, but hunters are rarely punished in respect to illegal shootings of animals supposedly mistaken for unprotected wildlife species.
This is unacceptable.
Tell the head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that this wolf deserves justice and to do everything in their power to investigate this heinous shooting.
Dear Dan Ashe,
I urge you conduct a full investigation into the December killing of a female gray wolf by a hunter near Beaver, Utah.
As you know, wolves are an endangered species in Utah, but the Endangered Species Act is rarely enforced in respect to illegal shootings of animals supposedly mistaken for unprotected wildlife species; notwithstanding that a fundamental rule of firearm and hunter safety is never to pull the trigger without being 100 percent sure of the target.
Please use your full authority to investigate the circumstances under which this wolf was killed and the hunter’s claim that he mistook a federally protected wolf for a much smaller coyote. If your staff determines that this wolf was illegally killed please coordinate with the Department of Justice to seek the maximum penalties allowed by law.
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
