Federal officials have formally announced plans to eliminate vital protections for wolves in Wyoming, leaving these iconic animals at the mercy of a shoot-on-sight state policy that covers nearly 90% of the state.
The proposal could lead to indiscriminate wolf killing across the vast majority of Wyoming, even on national forests and other lands owned by the American taxpayer.
Under this plan, wolves are considered predators in a majority of Wyoming and may be killed by anytime by anyone. Instead, wolves should be treated as other wildlife, especially on our national forests, where wildlife conservation is one of the core purposes.
Stand with the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund as they work to help save these wolves. Tell U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe that you OPPOSE the premature delisting of wolves in Wyoming.
As a supporter of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and someone who cares about wolves, I strongly oppose the delisting of gray wolves in Wyoming under the current proposed plan.
[Your comments will be added here]The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to delist wolves in Wyoming based on a flawed management plan and out-of-date recovery goals not based on the best available science.
Taken together, the three state management plans of Idaho, Montana and now Wyoming fail to ensure the long-term future of a healthy, sustainable wolf population across the region. States are allowed to reduce wolf numbers to only a few hundred throughout the region, and there is nothing in place that guarantees subpopulations will remain connected.
Under this plan, wolves are considered predators in a majority of Wyoming and may be killed at anytime by anyone. Instead wolves should be treated as other wildlife, especially on our national forests, where wildlife conservation is one of the core purposes.
Furthermore, unmanaged killing by any means and at any time in important wolf habitat -- as proposed in the Wyoming wolf plan -- may sabotage wolf migration from Wyoming to Colorado, Utah and other areas where wolves have historically ranged but are currently absent.
States already have authority to address conflicts with wildlife, livestock, and even game species, through lethal control as well as increasingly effective non-lethal strategies. But indiscriminate shooting of wolves as a primary management tool is unnecessary, unethical and unscientific. Wolves are a native species that play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems and should be managed with great care.
For all of these reasons, I oppose the delisting of wolves in Wyoming under these circumstances. Thank you for considering my comments.
