GOOD WOLF

South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks

Participants have one more Tuesday, June 25, to submit their tails for the Nest Predator Bounty Program. There are currently 44,000 tails submitted for the program. Tuesday will be the last opportunity to submit tails for the 2024 Nest Predator Bounty Program.

Joshua Able

44,000 native animals killed to protect a non native bird

Good Wolf

This is all to provide hunter recreational opportunity
They see this as family fun

Colorado's wolves now official 'pack' with official name after first pup is born

https://denvergazette.com/outtherecolorado/news/colorados-wolves-now-official-pack-with-official-name-after-first-pup-is-born/article_773fe3ba-2fdf-11ef-adfe-1b5e6bf3a567.html

First major wildlife crossing along I-70 to be unveiled Thursday Colorado officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the opening of the first major wildlife crossing along I-70.

Autopsy of 44,000-year-old WOLF frozen solid with its last meal still in its stomach could unearth ancient super-viruses

SCIENTISTS have conducted an autopsy of an ancient wolf that was found frozen solid after 44,000 years with its last meal still in its stomach.

https://share.newsbreak.com/7erky6jw

Port Moody resident fined $7,000 for killing grizzly after claiming self-defence

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/port-moody-resident-fined-7-000-for-killing-grizzly-after-claiming-self-defence-1.6933227

Good Wolf

Hunters always claim “self defense.”
It doesn’t always work
Killing a Grizzly is illegal in BC
Why is it legal to kill Wolves?

First gray wolf pup since state reintroduction born in Colorado

https://www.kktv.com/2024/06/21/first-gray-wolf-pup-since-state-reintroduction-born-colorado/

Here is another story

Reintroduced Colorado wolves have reproduced for the first time

Because these wolves have successfully reproduced, they are officially considered a pack.

https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/colorado-wolves/reintroduced-colorado-wolves-reproduction/73-45721511-baa8-4a23-b2ac-05bf5a46b81f

Setting the record straight on wolves in Colorado

https://www.gjsentinel.com/opinion/columns/setting-the-record-straight-on-wolves-in-colorado/article_6b3b6686-2e75-11ef-a118-13d1ea34dab9.html

By DELIA MALONE

Since the reintroduction of wolves back into Colorado, most of the mainstream media outlets have run one negative story after another. Our state has been flooded with misleading narratives, including “Coloradans have changed their minds about wolves,” “there are constant wolf conflicts,” and “all ranchers hate or want to kill wolves” and on and on.

The true story is much more nuanced than the headlines suggest.

First, it’s important to consider what happened. These wolves were captured in their homes, transported to a foreign landscape. Then, while this was happening, proactive, appropriate conflict reduction strategies were not put in place for their arrival. This lack of preparation is the No. 1 reason we are seeing conflicts arise.

One rancher in particular, who has refused to use non-lethal methods, has been the primary recipient of these losses. It’s also worth noting that the land in question isn’t owned by the rancher — it’s public land, leased for a mere $1.35 per cow-calf pair. These wolves, new to their environment and trying to feed their families who are denning nearby, found easy prey in the unprotected cattle and unburied carcasses.

This is to say, conflict is not inevitable. There are proven solutions to help prevent this from happening.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has tried to help, but their efforts came too late to prevent the initial problems. After resistance died down, the agency provided funding for a single range rider to cover multiple ranches across Grand County — which is simply not enough to effectively prevent predations. While CPW’s intentions are good, they need to increase their efforts and resources to make a meaningful impact.

One way to better help ranchers is by speeding up the implementation of a $2 million grant in the works to fund conflict reduction strategies for ranchers. Making these strategies more affordable and accessible will be an easy win-win for both the ranching community and our wildlife populations.

Another way we can help is by avoiding lethal management policies that destabilize wolf packs and prevent our state’s new wolves from thriving in the wild. For example, state leaders have agreed to change Colorado’s wolf management plan to allow the use of “nighttime aids” (such as artificial lights and thermal imaging) to haze wolves. The rule change also allows Parks and Wildlife to decide on a case-by-case basis to let livestock owners use lighting and nighttime vision equipment in instances when the agency issues them a permit to kill chronically depredating wolves.

This is a fundamentally flawed approach. Instead, prior to expanding lethal management tools and defining “chronic depredation,” ranchers should first be required to use proven nonlethal strategies which have been shown to actually decrease wolf-livestock conflict.

States like Idaho and Montana, with their low threshold definition of one and five losses for “chronic depredation,” have seen dramatic declines in wolf populations, undermining the many benefits that wolves bring to natural landscapes. Colorado must learn from these examples and avoid making the same mistakes.

With only 11 wolves in our state, there should be no talk of lethal removal. Instead, we should be focusing on proactive, nonlethal coexistence measures ,which will allow livestock to thrive as well as promote the many benefits of healthy wolf populations..

It is easy to get discouraged with the bombardment of negative news coming from the media. But these wolves deserve a fair chance to live and thrive in their new homes. This is entirely possible through the promotion of nonlethal coexistence strategies and proper management practices.

I call on the commission to do the right thing at future hearings and support measures that ensure the protection of Colorado’s wolves.

Delia G. Malone is an ecologist, chair of the Wildlife Committee of the Sierra Club’s Rocky Mountain Chapter, and a member of The Campaign.

Hunter shot grizzly after Idaho officials said it was a black bear

https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/hunter-shot-grizzly-after-idaho-officials-said-it-was-a-black-bear/article_f40c2f04-2f24-11ef-8f7b-27eeb72c0002.html

Good Wolf

What a disaster
Idaho officials told the hunter it was a black bear and the bear could be killed at the bait site

Oil drilling has endured in the Everglades for decades. Now, Miccosukee Tribe has a plan to stop it

https://www.wlrn.org/environment/2024-04-29/oil-drilling-has-endured-in-the-everglades-for-decades-now-miccosukee-tribe-has-a-plan-to-stop-it

Wildlife For All

🐺🔍 Questioning the ""Wyoming Solution"" for Wildlife Management 🔍🐺

An eye-opening Yellowstonian article casts serious doubt on the ""Wyoming solution"" to wildlife management, suggesting it may not prioritize wildlife's best interests.

Survey results and insights from Carter Niemeyer, a former government trapper, indicate flaws in Wyoming's approach. Despite claims of cooperation by Wyoming Wildlife Federation spokeswoman Jess Johnson and Wyoming Wool Growers Association Executive Director Alison Crane, the reality is concerning. Johnson mentions discussions ""over a beer or a whiskey,"" while Crane insists this is ""a Wyoming issue with a very specific Wyoming solution"" (Cowboy State Daily, May 14).

However, Wyoming Stock Growers Association Executive Vice President Jim Magagna rejects comprehensive reforms to wolf management, suggesting resistance to beneficial change.

Niemeyer's experiences highlight the brutal and often ineffective current practices of wildlife management. Survey results show a gap between public opinion and the policies of these interest groups. This cozy, slow approach seems geared to maintaining the status quo rather than science-based conservation.

The ""Wyoming solution"" appears questionable and suspicious, raising concerns it won't suffice for true conservation. We need genuine reforms prioritizing all species and ecosystems, not just the interest of a few powerful groups. Wildlife belong to themselves, first and foremost. The wolves that thrive in Yellowstone and beyond its borders also belong to all denizens of Earth, not just a contingent of regressive, wolf-hating Wyomingites. Hence our name, Wildlife for ALL, not just some.

It's crucial to scrutinize these claims and advocate for real, effective wildlife management reforms! 🐾

Read more about these developments and join us in calling for substantial changes that truly protect wildlife. https://yellowstonian.org/grim-confessions-of-a-former-government-trapper/

Wyoming Elk Poacher Nailed After Truck Gets Stuck And He Brags On Social Media.

A Rawlins man might have thought he would get away with poaching a bull elk, until his truck got stuck. Then he posted photos of the elk and bragged about it on social media.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/06/18/wyoming-elk-poacher-nailed-after-truck-gets-stuck-and-he-brags-on-social-media/

Wolves in the West are collateral damage of human selfishness

Maximilian Werner
June 16, 2022

https://www.thewildlifenews.com/2022/06/16/wolves-in-the-west-are-collateral-damage-of-human-selfishness/

Good Wolf

This article is spot on
We see the power of the Agricultural Sector stirring up hysteria in Colorado with one rancher Don Gittleson enjoying the spotlight and using his cattle losses to spread fear and hatred of Wolves

The reports of a rancher putting dead cattle remains two miles from a ranch shows how these folks do not understand predator ecology or biology

Ranchers expect free range grazing on both public and private land.

When should a cattle-killing wolf be put down? Colorado wildlife officials punt question to new advisory group

https://phys.org/news/2024-06-cattle-wolf-colorado-wildlife-punt.html

Good Wolf

These type stories are dominating the headlines
This is by design
The Stockgrowers know that continued pressure on decision makers is in their best interests

The talk should center around non lethal methods and removal of cattle carcasses
This is something the ranchers don’t want to talk about because it’s more work and expense

What’s behind the resistance to wolves in Colorado?

https://www.postindependent.com/news/whats-behind-the-resistance-to-wolves-in-colorado/

The other part of this fear is historic and a significant, yet underlying factor behind the resistance to wolves being reintroduced in the state, a type that goes back generations.

“I think the issue with wolves is this long–standing fear,” said Andrew Gulliford, a professor of history and environmental studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango, with expertise in the American West and its wilderness. It’s a fear in the US that reaches back to the Colonial Era and beyond, with some of the first environmental laws in the United States placing bounties on wolves, he said.

“But that fear of wolves is that deep, European fear of canis lupus,” he added. “It’s just part of who we are as humans because, indeed, wolves are a species that competes with us.”

This combination of fears as well as the historic, mythical, and modern day views between ranching and wolves officially peaked in the state with the passage of Proposition 114 in 2020, the recent lawsuit in December attempting to stop the reintroduction, and Colorado’s plans to add more wolves in the future to its introductory stock.

Even with compensation and nonlethal deterrents available, the reintroduction of these federally-endangered apex predators struck a nerve in the ranching community. So, what’s behind it?

Trapping.

Rural and urban divide very real
The rural view is that humans were put on the earth to dominate all other species that we deem less than
On the hunting and trapping websites the general public rarely sees how these people treat, belittle, and degrade their animal victims

The cruelty is something you never get over
For the person committing the cruelty they don’t give it another thought

HERE’S THE REST OF YOUR FUR COAT 🤬

HUNTING WITH SUPPRESSORS PERMANENTLY AUTHORIZED IN THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE

https://congressionalsportsmen.org/news/hunting-with-suppressors-permanently-authorized-in-the-green-mountain-state/

Why It Matters: On June 6, 2024, Governor’s Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) Member, Governor Phil Scott, signed Vermont House Bill 878 (HB 878) into law, removing the two-year sunset provision previously put in place by Vermont Senate Bill 281 (SB 281) – which temporarily legalized the use of suppressors while hunting in Vermont two years ago. After over a decade of efforts spearheaded by the Vermont Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), and our partners at the American Suppressor Association (ASA), Vermont’s sportsmen and women will now be able to take protect their hearing with suppressors while hunting indefinitely.

Good Wolf

This has nothing to do with protecting hearing!
It is just another tool on the thrill killer target list one state at a time

Paul F Watson

The Betrayal of Bob Barker

In 2009 I was invited to meet with the legendary Bob Barker in Los Angeles. He asked me to tell him what we needed to stop the Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
I told him we could use a 2nd ship. I answered that $5 million would allow us to secure a good ice class ship. He said he would give me 5 million plus another $250 thousand for new helicopter to be named in honor of his friend Nancy Burnett.

It was an incredibly generous donation, much needed and greatly appreciated.

I said we would name the ship after him. He said that was not necessary, but I convinced him that his name on the ship would send a strong message that individuals like him could make such a difference.

He told me at the time that he supported my aggressive non-violent approach and understood that there was a possibility that the ship would be damaged or lost. He had served in the U.S. Navy and understood that ships sometimes must sail into harm’s way. As someone who was raised and schooled on the Rosebud Sioux he also appreciated my service with the Oglala and the American Indian Movement at Wounded Knee in 1973.

Bob told me that he would leave a bequest for us after he passed to help continue the fight against the whalers

Bob Barker died almost a year ago on August 23rd, 2023 at the age of 99 just short of four months from turning one hundred.
Bob was never informed that I had been forcefully removed from Sea Shepherd a year before in August 2022.

Those who took over, rebranded and changed the objectives, principles, strategies and tactics of the Sea Shepherd movement that I created in 1977 received that promised bequest, one of many bequests that Sea Shepherd has received and will continue to receive to carry on the work that they no longer are doing.
Sea Shepherd Global has not said one word about the launching of the world’s most powerful whaling factory ship the Kangei Maru and they have abandoned opposition to whaling with the flimsy excuse that more whales are killed in fishing gear and fish strikes.

On Saturday, June 15th, one of the new Sea Shepherd directors, a wealthy person who never participated in a single Sea Shepherd ship campaign will host a party to honor Bob Barker at his home in Hollywood to announce the launching of a new ship to be named Bob Barker, a ship that will not be used to oppose commercial whaling because opposition to Japanese, Icelandic, and Norwegian whaling is now considered overly controversial.
Of the six current directors of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society not one of them is a veteran of a Sea Shepherd ship campaign, not one of them risked their lives in the Southern Ocean to protect whales, not one of them ever stood on the ice floes to defend seal pups. Yet they have reaped everything I spent my life creating and building into what was once the most effective kick ass marine conservation movement on the planet.
The original Bob Barker, the vessel that I launched and sent to the Southern Ocean in 2010 to oppose Japanese whaling was ignobly scrapped in 2022 against my advice that the ship be retired honorably in confrontation in the Faroe Islands where the Faroese threatened to seize the ship if it were to re-enter Faroese waters.

Today, the Sea Shepherd movement that I established in 1977 is no more. Sea Shepherd is now just a trademark controlled by a small group of men that I mistakenly trusted who now control the assets, the list of supporters, the ships and the bequests built up over four decades.

These assets are now being used to sue those Sea Shepherd groups that chose to remain loyal to the original objectives, Sea Shepherd France and Sea Shepherd Brazil.

I and so many brave volunteers were betrayed by this small manipulative group of men.

They also betrayed the wishes of Bob Barker who told me that it was his wish to support us to end the killing of whales.

On June 15th at their party in Hollywood, I’m sure they will have fun congratulating themselves for the coup that delivered a movement into their hands so they can promote the illusion and boast about something they no longer are.

Carter Niemeyer

Colorado - the progressive state!

People can criticize Colorado for various reasons but Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are too cowardly to sell "wolf plates" to fund non-lethal efforts to protect livestock or provide compensation to livestock producers that lose livestock.

In Idaho, Montana and Wyoming - the powers-that-be just KILL wolves!

Share- Sky Phoenix

Because this is how Canada operates...a friend was out for a drive and finds this.

Will Two Of The World’s Greatest Wildlife Conservation Success Stories Be Unwritten?

Chris Servheen and Doug Smith, both eminent scientific experts, say carnivore management in Western states and Congress threaten recovery of wolves and grizzlies

https://yellowstonian.org/will-two-of-the-worlds-greatest-wildlife-conservation-success-stories-be-unwritten/

"You know, Chuck grew up with that bear and ever since he was a baby he has known it," Mather said.
The dead bear's head, hide and claws are missing from the kill site, which Mather says is usually the sign of a trophy hunter. But it also makes it harder for the bear to be identified.
"It's a bear that was killed that shouldn't have been killed," says Mather.
"They're very much like people, you know. So it's very sad."

Shared via Tourists Against Trophy Hunting