Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Jackson wolf put down over safety concerns – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week that it euthanized one of two female wolves that had settled near Jackson Hole, Wyoming in recent months. While it’s sad to hear the large white wolf was killed, ultimately a suburban environment like Jackson is not a great place for wolves to be. The longer they stick around, the more likely they are to get into trouble.

Wild wolves tend to keep their distance from people and generally are not a threat. Not a single person has been injured by wolves in the Rockies since they were reintroduced more than 15 years ago. But accidents can happen once wolves become habituated and lose their fear of people.

This incident is a good reminder that people living in wolf country can help protect wolves by scaring them away. Nonlethal hazing, such as yelling, or banging pots and pans, blowing airhorns, and shining lights, is a good way to make sure wild wolves maintain a healthy fear of humans and don’t come around again. Wolves are curious creatures but will usually head for the hills if they feel threatened, especially by humans.

RMEF pays feds to kill more wolves – The Missoulian reported this week that the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation gave $51,000 to Wildlife Services to target more wolves in response to livestock depredations. It’s strange that a wildlife organization is offering money to a federal agency to kill a native species in order to benefit the livestock industry. But the bigger issue is that killing wolves only perpetuates Wildlife Services outdated predator control strategies without addressing any of the underlying problems.

A better alternative is taking proactive steps to prevent conflict before problems arise. Using nonlethal deterrents and innovative husbandry practices is a much better long-term solution. Groups like Defenders of Wildlife and others have been investing in these types of projects for years with impressive results. For the last few years, federal legislation sponsored by Sen. Jon Tester has also made $1 million available annually to support wolf coexistence and livestock compensation in 10 western states. This funding goes a long way to helping ranchers purchase and implement the tools they need to coexist with all our native wildlife.

Three must-see wolf videos – In case you missed the premiere this week on PBS, you can now watch the full episode of River of No Return online (below). The stunning documentary follows Isaac and Bjornen Babcock on their year-long honeymoon tracking wolves through the central Idaho wilderness.

Watch River of No Return on PBS. See more from Nature.

Another fantastic feature-length documentary will be coming to theaters this summer, starting with the world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 31. True Wolf tells the story of a couple that adopted a wolf and spent 16 years touring the country and educating people about wolves. Their story has never been more relevant for addressing the conflicted relationship of man and wolf.

Last but not least, here’s a heartwarming story about a wolf that was rescued in Italy after falling into freezing water. It’s hard to ignore the stark contrast between valiant efforts to keep this one wolf alive and aggressive efforts to eliminate wolves in the Northern Rockies.

When prairie dogs are poisoned with Rozol—an extremely dangerous pesticide—it’s not just the prairie dogs that perish. So do countless other species that rely on prairie dogs for food and shelter.

Black-footed ferrets rely on large prairie dog colonies for food and shelter.

Black-footed ferrets can only survive where there are enough prairie dogs for them to feast on. Burrowing owls use prairie dogs holes to escape from hungry predators. Badgers, golden eagles, swift foxes and dozens of other species benefit from having healthy prairie dog colonies around.

That’s why Rozol is so pernicious. The dust is left behind in prairie dog burrows where it can kill any number of species. But it doesn’t stop there. Rozol is toxic enough to kill any subsequent animal that feeds on the poisoned carcass as long as it persists in the environment.

Fortunately, thanks to the ongoing efforts of Defenders’ legal team, imperiled prairie species in six states will be safer this fall.

Last summer, the DC Circuit court sided with Defenders and put a temporary ban on the use of Rozol in four states. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed to revisit the impacts of Rozol on threatened and endangered species across 10 states.

As a result of that agreement, EPA announced new conservation measures last week that will limit the use of Rozol in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming. These measures include:

• Prohibiting the use of Rozol in black-footed ferret reintroduction areas
• Prohibiting the use of Rozol in southwestern New Mexico to protect jaguars, Mexican gray wolves, and other species
• Shortening the Rozol application season where prairie dog range overlaps with grizzly bears and Preble’s meadow jumping mouse
• Amending Rozol label to require enhanced searches to remove poisoned prairie dogs before other animals feed on them

Defenders is still concerned that some of these measures don’t go far enough. So far, EPA has posted the new measures on their Bulletins Live! website, but there’s no guarantee that pesticide users will actually implement them. Further, EPA is likely to allow Rozol to be used again in areas not covered by the new conservation measures. Even if Rozol were banned completely, there are still other dangerous poisons on the market that can be substituted, some of which have dire impacts for non-target species.

But overall, the changes made by EPA are a step in the right direction. Meanwhile, Defenders will continue working to get rid of other pesticides that are harmful to imperiled wildlife.

Wyoming targets 98 wolves—At a meeting in Jackson this week, Wyoming Game and Fish officials said they expect about 100 wolves will be killed next year under proposed hunting regulations in the state (read full story in Jackson Hole News & Guide). Game and Fish has recommended a quota of 52 wolves in the trophy game management area where licensed hunting will be allowed from October through December. The state estimates that another 46 wolves are likely to be killed via targeted removal, poaching and vehicle collisions.

Defenders has continued to raise serious concerns about Wyoming’s overall management plan which will allow wolves outside the trophy game area to be killed at any time by any means. While the hunting quota would be lower in Wyoming than in either Montana or Idaho, the state also has far fewer wolves (at the end of 2011, Wyoming had at least 328 wolves compared to 653 in Montana and 746 in Idaho). Further, unrestricted killing will be allowed in parts of southwest Wyoming that are vital corridors for wolves to disperse to Colorado and Utah.

Public comments on Wyoming’s proposed hunting regulations will be accepted through April 23 and at the next Wyoming Game and Fish Commission meeting April 25-26 in Casper. Click here to download the comment form.

Surprise! Wolves are good for the ecosystem – Scientific experts continue to find stronger evidence for the vital role that wolves play in maintaining a healthy environment. A new study for Oregon State University researchers found that the loss of predators, especially wolves, has created a cascade of negative environmental consequences. By removing predators from the ecosystem, game populations (elk, deer and moose) have exploded to historic levels. Having all those extra mouths to feed has destroyed native plant communities in sensitive areas and prevented younger trees from taking root. Fewer trees mean less biodiversity and can also lead to deforestation and less carbon sequestration.

Wolves hunt two bull elk in Yellowstone. Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service.

The American Society of Mammalogists has also raised concerns about the negative impacts of removing predators from the landscape. The scientific organization sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in late March, criticizing Wildlife Services continued use of aggressive lethal control. Between 2000 and 2010, Wildlife Services killed more than 2 million mammals, including 916,000 coyotes, 321,000 beavers, and 126,000 raccoons. Notably, the agency also killed thousands of predators, including 3,000 wolves, 4,000 cougars and 4,500 bears. The widespread killing of native species has dramatically altered the health of our environment and reduced biodiversity in many places. Read more in the Billings Gazette.

The Society also shares Defenders’ concern that the federal Wildlife Services agency is increasingly expanding into helping manage state hunting programs by killing predators in attempts to artificially inflate popular hunted species like elk.

Wolves and the River of No Return – Don’t miss the premiere of “River of No Return” on PBS next week. Wolf biologist-turned-filmmaker Isaac Babcock and his wife spent a year exploring the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in central Idaho, and now they’re sharing their dramatic wildlife encounters and stunning scenery with the rest of us. You can read about one of Babcock’s first wolf encounters in this story from the Idaho Statesman, and check out a preview of the PBS special below.

Watch River of No Return – Preview on PBS. See more from Nature.

Tune in Wednesday, April 18 for the national premiere on PBS.

Gov. Scott vetoed the Jurassic Park bill, which would have allowed state zoos to lease state lands for research on animals like rhinos.

Which is worse: an elephant in the room or rhino in the backyard? Thanks to a move by Florida Governor Rick Scott, residents of the Sunshine State won’t have to find out–at least for now. He put an end to the state’s controversial “Jurassic Park” bill on Friday, vetoing the piece of legislation that would have allowed state zoos and aquariums to lease state-owned land to conduct breeding and research on animals including giraffes, zebras and rhinos.

While rejecting HB 1117,, Gov. Scott wrote that it “lacks sufficient safeguards” to “ensure the protection of state … lands, native species and habitats.” That’s a message Defenders has been delivering to Tallahassee ever since the Florida Legislature sent the measure to Gov. Scott’s desk in March. Evidence shows that exotic animals and plants can cause serious costly damage to our public lands, and present an array of serious problems including the escape of animals, the spread of nonnative seed from feed, and potential spread of disease.

Florida ecosystems and native wildlife are already at risk from exotic species run wild. And as America saw last fall in Ohio, escaped animals may even pose a threat to people and property.

Defenders’ Laurie Macdonald said of the bill’s rejection, “Gov. Scott’s veto signals a commitment to protecting the natural Florida we all know and love. Now our public land managers can concentrate on fulfilling their mission of protecting and restoring native wildlife and habitat—without fear of an angry rhino stomping on  those plans.”

Animals like the Florida panther depend on the state's public lands for survival.

This victory comes with a caveat – technically the state already has the authority to lease lands out to this purpose. But as Laurie warned the Tampa Bay Times, “We will be watching very closely any applications for this use.”

YOU DID IT!

Thanks go out to the thousands of Defenders supporters wrote to Gov. Scott asking him to veto this misguided bill. Your efforts help protect the native wildlife that makes Florida such a unique and special place!

Learn more about how we’re working to protect Florida wildlife and habitats.

Wolf hunt ends in most of Idaho – Idaho’s wolf hunting and trapping season ended Saturday, March 31 across most of the state. Since the season began seven months ago, 372 wolves were legally killed—about half of the total number of estimated wolves tallied at the end of 2011. As Defenders wolf expert Suzanne Stone told Northwest Public Radio, that’s a lot of wolves, especially for the first year of state wolf management after federal protections were stripped for the species in May. Also, in some wolf hunting districts hunting will be allowed right through denning season to June 30, when wolf packs and pups are easily found and exceptionally vulnerable.

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The state wildlife commission has already ratcheted up their wolf control efforts for next year by approving higher bag limits and extending the season in several parts of the state. The state appears to be trying to drive the population down to a minimum number—an approach that resembles aggressive predator control more than it does responsible wildlife management. Idaho doesn’t treat black bears and cougars that way, even though those species are far more abundant, also prey on elk, and can have similar impacts on livestock.

It’s time for Idaho to start managing wolves like they do other valuable wildlife rather than pursuing the same strategies that nearly wiped wolves out 80 years ago and led to their listing.

Nonlethal tools are taking off in Oregon, allowing wolves and livestock to coexist. Defenders help pay for fladry at this eastern Oregon ranch.

Oregon invests in coexistence – While Idaho continues to dismantle wolf recovery efforts, Oregon is moving forward with a program that will help reduce conflict and benefit wolves over the long run. Oregon Department of Agriculture distributed nearly $83,000 this week to counties in eastern Oregon through the state’s newly minted wolf coexistence and livestock compensation program. Defenders helped the state create the program, which was adopted unanimously in legislation last summer. The best part is that $65,000 (almost 80 percent!) is earmarked for purchasing nonlethal deterrents like fladry, electric fencing and other scare devices. This bodes well for a future in which people and livestock can coexist in Oregon. Defenders has helped pioneer these methods in Oregon by working directly with ranchers who are living with wolves nearby, providing funding for range riders, purchasing miles of turbofladry, hosting training workshops for biologists, and more.  We are expanding our work in Washington and California to ensure that wolves have the best possible support across the West and deeply appreciate the continued support of our members who make our work possible.

OR7 back in Cali – The draw of the Golden State was simply too irresistible for OR-7, the lone male wolf that has been dividing his time between California and Oregon since the end of last year. According to California Department of Fish & Game, OR-7’s tracking collar was picked up on the southern side of the state line on March 31. He had left the state in early March, spending most of the month in southwest and south-central Oregon, but now he’s back in northern California. Keep tabs on his latest moves here. See full story in today’s Sacramento Bee.

(Editor’s Note: This post was originally scheduled for Friday, March 30, but our blog has been down. Sorry for the delay!)

Elk, elk and more elk – It was a big week in the press for elk, wolves and their perennially strained public relationship. First, the Associated Press reported that the legendary elk herd of northern Yellowstone continues to decline in size. However, veteran Yellowstone biologist Doug Smith was quick to point out that the herd is still healthy and strong. “That’s some bad news, a 25 percent decline last year and 10 percent this year. But the elk are looking really good,” Smith said. “This was one of the hardest winters we’ve had in decades … We’ve got a leaner, meaner elk herd.” Smith also says that the herd is now more in line with historic levels, down from a high of almost 20,000 in 1992 when an absence of wolves and other predators allowed the population to balloon well beyond the ecosystem’s carrying capacity. A combination of liberal hunts designed to reduce the elk overpopulation, bad winters, drought, and predation by cougars, bears and wolves has brought the herd down to a more manageable level. Notably, the wolf population in the area has also declined by 60 percent in the last five years, suggesting that a more natural balance between elk and their various predators is still being established.

Then yesterday, Nick Gevock at the Montana Standard took on the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for exploiting wolves to line their pockets. Most recently, RMEF offered the state $50,000 to support more wolf-killing by federal agents with Wildlife Services, and they’re looking to raise more money to kill other predators as well. Gevock argues that anti-wolf groups continue to foment wolf hysteria by exaggerating the influence that wolves have on game species. Yet the best available data show that elk populations are still strong, with an estimated 1.2 million elk nationwide and about 150,000 elk in Montana alone. Hopefully Montanans recognize that their state is big enough and wild enough to support healthy populations of predator and prey.

Will Montana’s next governor undo wolf recovery? – Leading Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill is no friend of wolves. While out campaigning this week, he announced his wolf management plan, which would allow trapping and a year-round hunting season. Hill also wants to encourage counties to adopt wolf bounties. The possibility of a governor like Mr. Hill taking control of wolf management in Montana is one reason we worked so hard in and out of the courts to get a stronger Endangered Species Act delisting rule for wolves, one that required more than 100 – 150 wolves per state. As you probably know, Congress overturned our successful litigation so the fate of wolves in Montana above 150 will be in the hands of the next governor.  We’ll certainly be very sad to see the current Montana Governor, Brian Schweitzer. go next year if this is the alternative.

Caught on camera – Check out this clip of a gray wolf in Washington from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife:

And just for fun, here’s a clip of a wolverine using the exact same area!