Protect Wolverines Before It's Too Late
Wolverines have a ferocious reputation, but their powerful jaws, thick fur and sharp claws are no match for a bullet or bureaucratic indifference. Last week a rancher in North Dakota proved this by gunning down the first wolverine seen in the state since the 1800s.
Only about 300 of these rare, highly imperiled animals remain in the wild in the lower 48 states, but despite these shocking numbers the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refused to protect wolverines when we petitioned to get them protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Without the lifesaving protection of the Act, wolverines remain in peril, and wildlife haters with a grudge and a rifle will be able to kill them without facing any consequences.
A federal judge recently blasted the Service's refusal to protect wolverines, saying it "border[ed] on the absurd." And we agree: Wolverines deserve protection now.
Take action -- tell Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe to give wolverines the full protection of the Endangered Species Act.
Dear Director Ashe,
I'm writing today because it is unconscionable that, with only 300 wild wolverines remaining in the contiguous United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has yet to protect these highly imperiled predators under the Endangered Species Act.
[Your comment will be added here]
The federal judge who recently called your agency's 2014 decision not to protect wolverines "absurd" agrees.
It is time for the Service to do what it is morally and legally obligated to do: Protect wolverines from disappearing from our landscape forever by extending them the full protection of the Endangered Species Act.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
