Wolf killings are set to expand despite their endangered status. There is a huge push by government agencies to ramp up killings of gray wolves in the regions of the Northern Rockies and the Great Lakes.
Why are Wolf Killings going to Expand?
The gray wolf has had its endangered status restored in the U.S. except for in Alaska and Minnesota. The methods of getting rid of the wolves seem incredibly extreme. There are proposals to gas pups in their dens or to surgically sterilize adult wolves according to MSNBC. Other ideas are to allow hunts for gray wolves to kill them.
The gray wolves were once almost extinct in the 48 contiguous states, but they have made a huge comeback after being protected under the Endangered Species Act. Their multiplication has caused them to attack livestock and big game herds, which has caused some problems.
Some states have allowed wolf hunting, but in August a court ruling has put a stop to those plans for this hunting season. Right now, wolves are often removed by shooting them from an aircraft. It seems inhuman to hunt them in such a way.
However, the wolves are pushing into agricultural and residential areas, and the domestic animals that live in the areas are easy targets for the wolves. Some areas want to call wolf hunts “conservation hunts†or “research hunts,†so that they are able to thin the population more easily. There are also some proposals that want to allow ranchers to have more freedom to shoot harassing wolves to protect their livestock.
However, government statistics says that wolves only account for very few of livestock losses each year. If this is the case, then these gray wolves appear to be unfairly targeted by all these extreme proposals to kill them. It is obviously a delicate line to walk because we have to live with the wolves peacefully without wiping them out, but we do not need them attacking livestock and other domestic animals.
© Copyright: News Today Online by Kate James at Gather.com
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Comments: 35
If one would have listened to the liberals in 2008 one would have thought that it was all Governor Sarah Palin's fault. So, several states do it that way and not just Alaska? Hmm .... I sure thought that Palin invented it.
NOT!
And while we're at it, we should neuter Obama, too. The Obamas never had any pets until Barack was elected to office. I knew he was fake then. Don't ever trust a person that doesn't have pets. We all know that Bill and Hillary had pets. But Democrats fell for "Yes We Can!" Kartman didn't fall for it.
Its no surprise the Obama administration isn't intervening while government agencies are treating the wolves as bad as the Israelis.
Did you hear that Bo, the first dog, flew on his own jet to join them on one of their several vacations? Oh, the life of a dog that lives in the White House!
I could never do it. I could never watch it. I hate the idea. But I am a realistic person and I know that certain things must be done. Just like slaughtering animals so that we can have meat on the table. Or the testing on the white lab rats that goes on where I work. I would like to set them all free but I know that I can't and someday there might be something beneficial to mankind come from those experiments.
...At the LOW end, an adult cow is worth about $2,500 fully dressed out.
...20 x $2,500 = $50,000 on the hoof.
...IF it is a purebred Limousine, or an Angus cow, it could be worth at least $5,000 per beef critter. One Angus bull went for $35,000 because he won a bunch of shows, like in dog shows.
...Jersey cows are great for their milk and dairy potential. I admit that I have never seen one at a sale barn yet. So I do not know their exact worth, but since they produce income, I have to assume they would cost more than a "mutt" beef critter.
...Explaining it from what is going on out in that area of the country may help you understand.
Sterilizing wolves makes no sense since they would be back killing again.
There is no need to poison the cubs if the parents are killed. Just like dogs, they need to get to the age where they can be weaned. Finding a den of any wild critter is hard.
but, as far as I know, there is no insurance for cattle.
...On the last farm I lived on, I had to shoot over 2 dozen dogs that their owners dumped. they were chasing the cattle and had killed 3 calves during my time there. Which, like the wolf or fox problem, leads to insurance not being available. Plus weather plays a hand..
"Mean" is a human emotion that doesn't exist in nature there is only life and death in the natural world. So in defence of what's left of that world please don't pollute it with your emotions.
I am delighted by one fact, people such as yourselves are about to reap the rewards for all your selfishness, my sorrow is so is everyone else.
Lee P., wolves have been returned to endangered status in 48 states. They are not considered endangered in Alaska and Minnesota. Sarah Palin did have a big hand in wolf killings and her methods trickled down to the lower 48. Gray wolves, like wild horses, have a right to this land. If you choose to live and make a living where the wolves are, you should expect to see and hear them. Wolves are always accused of these killings even when they are not guilty. Livestock owners have to take some responsibility by patrolling their herds more aggressively, using fladry fencing which has a 98% success rate in warding off wolf predation, and removing dead animals immediately and disposing of them. By doing this, you wouldn't have to blame the wolf every time one of your precious calves or lambs gets killed. There are other predators out there; mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, bears. But every time a calf or a lamb or even someone's cat or dog get killed, it's always a wolf. It's because of this prejudice against these beautiful animals that they are hunted down and killed in the most horrible ways.
Cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers and even people who do not make a living like this always fail to realize that the animals were here first. They did not put up the fences and they cannot discuss amongst themselves the right or wrong of killing to survive nor do they look at a calf or a lamb or a dog or a cat and say, "Oops, I can't attack and eat that." They cannot read No Trespassing signs. What right do you have to claim their land as your own, anyway. You chose to live there and you probably knew the wolves were there, too. Yet, Lee P., you decide to declare war on a vital part of the ecosystem because you don't want them there because of your cattle or sheep. There is funding available for people like you initiated by Defenders of Wildlife to compensate cattle and sheep ranchers for their losses if it can be proved the attack was indeed by a wolf. Can you prove this? I say, highly unlikely because chances are, no one was around to witness the attack and the body was fed upon all night by other predators before it was discovered. Lee, I think you need to study more about wolves and the workings of the pack before you continue your senseless vendetta. Maybe, if you made an effort to work with groups like Defenders of Wildlife, you would soon find that you and your cattle or sheep can co-exist.