Howling for justice

[blucher]

A horrible wildfire is raging out-of-control in the heart of lobo habitat. The wildfire threatens at least three dens where wolves are raising their young. Please support our work to save struggling Southwest wolves.

http://action.defenders.org/site/PageServer?pagename=savewolves_homepage

There are only about 50 left in the wild, but anti-wolf extremists are targeting exceptionally rare Southwest wolves -- even as these native animals struggle to regain a foothold in the wilderness of Arizona and New Mexico.

Zealous anti-wolf hatred has driven these amazing animals to extinction in the past: Lobos disappeared from the landscape last century after decades of trapping, shooting and poisoning.

Thanks to a life-saving captive breeding program, these wolves returned to the wild in 1998. But anti-wolf extremists are once again targeting these rare animals.

Lawless killers have taken the lives of 35 wolves in Arizona and New Mexico since their reintroduction -- including two all-important alpha males last year. But only two poachers have been caught and prosecuted for their crimes.

And recently, anti-wolf extremists in Congress have introduced legislation that would remove vital federal protections for these scarce animals that are struggling to survive in the Southwest -- a move that would virtually doom these wolves to a second extinction in the wild.

Help save something wild. Please donate today to help save struggling wolves in the Southwest and protect other wildlife struggling to survive.

Lobos simply can't survive the fierce onslaught of anti-wolf extremists without our help. Your donation will help Defenders:
Post rewards to help law enforcement capture lawless wolf-killers and put them behind bars;
Stop extreme anti-wolf legislation in Congress that would spell doom for Southwest wolves;
Counter the hate-filled propaganda of extremists through a robust public education campaign;
Work with ranchers to use proven on-the-ground techniques to keep wolves away from livestock -- and out of harm's way; and
Promote other vital efforts to ensure a lasting future for America's wolves and other wildlife struggling to survive.
Please donate now to save something wild and help save struggling lobos.


For the Wild Ones,

Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife Campaign to Save America's Wolves: SaveWolves.org

Why are wolves continuing to be targeted and tracked, treated like terrorits when ranchers in Oregon lost 60,500 cattle to NON-PREDATION compared to 4500 cattle deaths due to ALL PREDATION? Again coyotes being number one killing 23oo cattle and calves, next Mountain Lions and Bobcats 1500. Wolves aren?t even mentioned in a category, because they kill so few livestock. That is a fact agribusiness doesn?t want you to know but one I will keep repeating over and over. Predation is a tiny, tiny percentage and the ranchers know it. Compare 60,500 non predation to 4500 predation, with wolves not even mentioned in a category. (NASS 2005)

wolves or livestock ? Howling For Justice

Wolves were delisted by the Obama administration in Spring 2009. Since that time wolves have been hammered by Wildlife Services even though cattle depredations were lower then 2008. Yet 272 wolves died in the Northern Rockies in 2009 for killing 214 cows out of SIX MILLION COWS. The irony is ranchers complaining about their tiny livestock losses were reimbursed $457,785 in 2009 by private and state agencies.

In 2005 of 190,000 cattle killed out of 104,500,000 produced in the US ALL MAMMALIAN CARNIVORES KILLED 0.18% or less than one fifth of 1% of the total.

In 2005 104,500,00 cattle were produced in the United States

Carnivores killed 0.18% (190,000) Cattle

Coyotes (51%, 97,000), Other Unknown (21%), Domestic Dogs 21,9000), Felids (8% 14,700), Vultures (5%), Wolves (2% , 4400), Bears (1%)

The statistics don?t lie. Wolf kills on livestock are a blip on the radar screen. Heck vultures killed more cows then wolves in 2005. Coyotes were responsible for most of the kills by far but predation only accounted for 0.18% of cattle mortality, while other causes accounted for 3.5% or 3,861,000 dead cows.

wolves or livestock ? Howling For Justice

In a season of bad wolf news, Mexican wolves have been dealt another blow. Their numbers, already dismal, dipped from 52 wolves in 2008 to 42 wolves in 2009.

?The Mexican wolf population in Arizona and New Mexico plunged to its lowest level in seven years in 2009, with eight wolves including four pups found dead last year, officials said Friday.

Last year?s total of 42 wolves found in the wild was down nearly 20 percent from 52 wolves in 2008. Since the wolf recovery plan began back in 1998, the U.S. government has spent about $20 million trying to restore wolves in Eastern Arizona and southwest New Mexico, federal records show. Ninety-two total wolves have been released into the wild.?

Theft was responsible for almost 5 times the cattle losses as were lost by wolf predation.?
The Gunning Down of Hog Heaven - by Chris Kirby

In contrast to Montana, Minnesota has 3000 wolves. That?s right, THREE THOUSAND!!

Minnesota is the 12th largest state with a land mass of 79,610 square miles, 250 to 300 miles wide by 400 miles long. A state almost half the size of Montana, with over 5 million (5,266,212) people can accommodate 5 times more wolves than the HUGE state of Montana.

Furthermore, 40% of all wolves in Minnesota live in the Northeastern part of the state, which means 1200 wolves live in just one area of the state. Yet the entire state of Montana can?t live with 450 wolves. How pathetic is that?