RelistWolves

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has gone back on their word to avoid killing wolves from the Leadpoint pack. WDFW has now authorized the killing of up to two additional Leadpoint wolves, despite the pack already suffering the loss of a female wolf on July 26th. Additionally, WDFW has confirmed that an adult male wolf from the Dominion pack has already been killed.

The WDFW attempted to bury bad news under good news when they recently announced that Washington’s wolves would not be downlisted from ‘endangered.' As a result, non-lethal measures should be WDFW's number one priority. Instead, they have opted for lethal removal, which has proven not only to be ineffective but also often exacerbates the issue.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/4cxunGl

An article in the Capital Press explores the horrific drop in Idaho’s wolf population— about 13%— over the past two summers. Anti-wolf legislation in the state has contributed to the drop in population. The 2023 wolf estimate of 1,150 wolves, is down from 1,337 in 2022 and 1,543 in 2021.

A new genetics-based method was used to estimate the population, replacing the previous camera-based approach. This method analyzes genetic data from wolves that have been hunted down to estimate the total population. While this new method is expected to be more reliable for smaller populations, it has not yet been peer-reviewed, and had raised concerns about its accuracy.

Read the full article here:

Idaho wolf population continues to drop Idaho Fish and Game finds a 13% summer decline in the number of wolves for second straight year. Genetics-based method replaces cameras in deriving most recent estimate.

Idaho's aggressive wolf policies have led to a 13% drop in the wolf population over the past two summers, now down to 1,150. This decline is due to increased hunting and trapping measures approved by the state legislature.

This count comes from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s new genetics-based method for estimating the population, which they argue is more reliable as the population decreases. Researchers believe this method provides accurate estimates by analyzing genetic and age data from harvested wolves instead of using camera-based methods. The state's long-term goal to significantly reduce the wolf population is not only unethical, but it is also harmful to the ecology of the state.

Take action to demand that Secretary Haaland restore federal protections for wolves today at RelistWolves.Org!

Today, August 13th is International Wolf Day. was created to raise awareness about the critically important role wolves play in balanced ecosystems. Here are five ways you can observe and celebrate today but the most important is always ACTION!

A recent article in WyoFile explored the act of wildlife whacking, a far too common practice in Wyoming in which “hunters” use snowmobiles to run down and kill wildlife. One such hunter, Don Hall, describes running wolves and coyotes down saying, “I drive up on them and I park them underneath the track and I shoot them in the head.”

This hunting practice caused global outrage when a Wyoming hunter ran down a young wolf last winter and paraded her suffering through town before killing her.

The article goes on to highlight the lack of action being taken by the state even suggesting that @‌GovernorMarkGordon has directed a newly created animal cruelty committee not to change course in hunting techniques that are legal.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/WYMOB then take action for wolves at http://RelistWolves.Org !

Did you know that all dogs come from wolves? Most scientists agree that gray wolves and dogs diverged from an extinct wolf species some 15,000 to 40,000 years ago. Share these images to your story and help us raise awareness in the effort to !

New analysis by the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Democratic staff and the Stop Project 2025 Task Force found that House Republicans are actively implementing Trump's Project 2025 agenda, despite this year’s looming general election.

This right-wing plan includes repealing climate actions and undermining protections for endangered species. Congressional Republicans have already begun pushing legislation and holding hearings aligned with these goals. We will continue to update you on their meetings and plans.

Democratic leaders continue to use their platform to highlight these issues and appear steadfast in their commitment to resisting Project 2025’s agenda and its destructive policies that affect wildlife and ecology.

Photo courtesy of bohemianlightsphotography

This is a reminder of who we are fighting for. These beautiful animals not only have a right to live but also play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity.

Howl with us and take action for wolves today at RelistWolves.Org.

Photo courtesy of @‌backcountry_ash.

In an article in WyoFile, Mike Koshmrl explores the act of using snowmobiles to run down wildlife in Wyoming. This horrific “hunting” technique drew global criticism following the Cody Roberts incident where a wolf was run down and paraded through a bar before being killed.

Despite the controversy, participants feel justified given that it's legal in Wyoming. In response to the incident, Governor Mark Gordon put together a working committee to review the state’s hunting and animal cruelty practices.

Ahead of the group’s initial meeting, however, Gov. Gordon wrote members a letter encouraging them to focus only on the animal cruelty regulations and not hunting practiced or regulations. As a result, meaningful change in the seems unlikely.

Wyoming allows snowmobilers to run down wildlife. Despite global outrage, it may stay legal. - WyoFile Gov. Mark Gordon advised lawmakers to steer clear of messing with predatory animal statutes that allow for much-maligned recreational activity.

According to a peer-reviewed paper in Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment, human-caused mortality triggers pack instability in gray wolves.

The study shows that the death of a single wolf from human-related causes is more likely to result in the dissolution of a pack than if a wolf were to die from natural causes. If humans cause the death of a pack leader, that pack is 73% more likely to dissolve.

Wolves are meant to hunt in the wild. When wolf pack stability is threatened and/or impacted by humans, wolves are more likely to go after non-wild prey such as livestock. In other words, wolf hunting has an adverse effect on livestock depredation.

Take action at RelistWolves.Org to today.

The ‘Treatment of Predators’ Working Group in Wyoming, established in response to wildlife cruelty in the state, has so far only proposed one vague recommendation: adding language to statutes requiring predators to be killed “quick and humane.”

This minimal amendment falls woefully short of any meaningful change in the state. We must continue to raise our voice and demand that the group address the entire issue of cruelty and torture, including the vehicular killing of wildlife, which they have not yet considered. This practice is not hunting or predator control—it is cruelty, plain and simple.

We encourage you to email the members of the Treatment of Predators Working Group and demand that they do more to protect wildlife. Find the committee members' contact info here:

Action Alert - attending the "Treatment of Predators Working Group" Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources subcommittee | Wyoming Coalition for Animal Protection (WYCAP) Please consider attending the "Treatment of Predators Working Group" Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources subcommittee, June 25, in Lander, WY, Details below.

Last week, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 5-4 to maintain the endangered status of Gray Wolves, after Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed downgrading Gray Wolves' status from endangered to sensitive. Maintaining an endangered status allows wolves to keep key protections throughout the state.​​

Commissioner Lorna Smith emphasized that the state’s recovery plan requirements have not been fulfilled, and Commissioner Melanie Rowland argued for stronger evidence before changing the status.

Thank you to the commissioners who voted to keep wolf protections in place and a BIG thank you to all of you who took action and submitted public comments. Nearly 90% of the 13,000 comments the department received, opposed the status down-listing. Each voice was crucial in this victory for Gray Wolves in Washington state.

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This spring, the GOP-led House passed Lauren Boebert’s misleadingly named “Trust the Science Act” which would see Gray Wolves delisted across the country. So far, the bill has failed to make progress in the Senate. Now, the House Interior Appropriations bill is taking another shot at wolves containing a provision to once again remove Gray Wolves from the Endangered Species List nationwide.

If successful, all federal protections for wolves would be removed and a 2020 Trump-era rule would be reinstated. This rule led to horrific state hunts including the one in Wisconsin, where 14% of the state's gray wolves were killed in three days.

Join us in urging the Senate not to pass the appropriations bill with any anti-wolf riders attached!

The horrific and heartbreaking story of the Wyoming wolf being run down and killed by a snowmobile has echoed around the world and, now, has led to a new bipartisan bill in Congress.

The Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act by U.S. Reps. Don Davis (D-NC) and Troy Nehls (R-TX) would ban using snowmobiles or other vehicles to directly pursue or run over wildlife on federal land in all 50 states.

The bill would include vast areas of National Forest and Bureau of Land Management land in Wyoming. However, it would not change the legality of this practice on private property and state lands.

We are encouraged by these legislators for taking action against these inhumane and cruel wildlife killing practices to ensure no other wolves are killed in this manner.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife's decision to keep Gray Wolves in the Northern Rockies off the Endangered Species List is a death sentence for the species after over 4,000 wolves have already been killed since 2020.

When Secretary Deb Haaland took office, she made a promise to the American public: “I am committed to ensuring that wolves have the conservation they need to survive and thrive in the wild.”

She has failed to keep that promise.

We will continue to be loud and clear about the need to protect all Gray Wolves in the United States until meaningful action is taken to protect and !

Image courtesy of Ronan Donovan

Tomorrow, Washington state’s Fish & Wildlife Commission will vote on a contentious decision whether to relax protections for wolves by downgrading their ‘endangered’ status. Advocates have been sounding alarms over potentially inflated wolf count figures provided by the Colville Tribe in northeast Washington.

The controversy underscores broader concerns about the lack of transparent data used in creating wolf management plans. In Washington state, many argue that the reliance on tribal data, lacks adequate scrutiny and verification.

Read more here:

Why Washington’s wolf count is under scrutiny • Washington State Standard Ahead of a vote on lowering the animals’ “endangered” status, wildlife advocates and others question whether population figures are inflated.

An article in AP News explores the legal challenge initiated by six conservation groups against the Department of Interior and USFWS for February decision not to in the Northern Rockies under the Endangered Species Act. The groups argue that state authorities have been too permissive in their management of wolf populations, allowing numbers to decline through egregious hunting practices. Filed in U.S. District Court in Missoula, Montana, the lawsuit criticizes federal agencies for allegedly ignoring scientific findings and failing to adequately assess ongoing threats to wolf survival.

In February, the Fish and Wildlife Service rejected petitions to reinstate endangered status for wolves, citing stable population levels and state-led management efforts aimed at controlling their numbers through hunting. Despite this decision, the agency announced intentions to develop a comprehensive national recovery plan for wolves by 2025, departing from its previous regional approach. The lawsuit specifically targets management practices in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, where unethical hunting methods and other measures continue to spark widespread outrage.

Read more here:

Groups sue to restore endangered species protection for US northern Rockies wolves Six conservation groups have filed a lawsuit challenging a recent U.S. government decision not to protect wolves in northern Rocky Mountain states as an endangered species.