The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was founded to conserve and protect the irreplaceable wildlife who call the United States home. But recently, the agency lost sight of that responsibility and voted in favor of leaving gray wolves in the Northern Rockies
utterly unprotected by the Endangered Species Act.
Because of this decision, gray wolves in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana will continue to be slaughtered brutally and en masse. Sign the petition and demand the USFWS vote again, and vote YES on protecting gray wolves in the Northern Rockies!Lawmakers in the states that span this region are actively passing laws to
expand "when, where and how wolves can be killed." Now that gray wolves have been deemed not precious enough for Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections,
these deadly laws will take a massive toll on animal life. Gray wolves in other parts of the US have ESA protections, but since 2011 the Northern Rockies packs have not. This is mainly due to pressure from farmers, who would rather see
wolves slaughtered into extinction than take any more humane steps to protect their livestock.
The
ways these wolves are hunted and killed reminds us that protecting them is not just about population numbers --
it's about preventing suffering. They are snared or trapped, sometimes for hours before being found --
they are at risk of starvation, dehydration, infection, other predators, and sometimes even gnaw their own limbs off to get free. Some wolves are chased for miles by hunting dogs, terrified and running for their lives.
Pups are left orphaned. Packs are devastated by loss. Hunting seasons can last months, meaning
the terror drags on endlessly for these animals.The USFWS said that instead of granting immediate protections for wolves, it will come up with a national wolf recovery plan that won't be ready until December 2025. The Endangered Species Act already exists for this exact reason -- to protect and recover species.
Why is the USFWS wasting time reinventing the wheel while innocent wolves are slaughtered?This cannot be allowed to happen.
The USFWS was created to protect our wildlife, but instead it's rolling over for Republican lawmakers who want to cater to hunters and livestock farmers at the expense of an entire species. Sign the petition and tell the agency to add gray wolves in the Northern Rockies to the Endangered Species Act NOW!