Bush Administration to Announce Wolf Delisting Tomorrow

[Shadow Wulf]

I just received the following email and it just down right disgust me. I be all of you to participate in this as much as you can. I tried 3 times so far and it keeps saying due to a high volume of calls please trying calling at another time.

As soon as tomorrow, Interior Secretary Kempthorne is expected to announce the elimination of federal protections for hundreds of endangered wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies.

Please take a moment right now to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-WILD (9453) and deliver this simple message:
“My name is (insert name here) and I'm calling from (City), (state). I understand that the federal government may remove wolves in the Greater Yellowstone and Central Idaho regions tomorrow from the list of federally protected threatened and endangered species.

I want your department to know that I strongly oppose the weakening of protections for these wolves and expect you to fulfill your obligation to secure a lasting future in the Northern Rockies for these amazing animals.”
he lives of hundreds of wolves are at stake. Please call tonight before 8 PM Eastern Time or first thing tomorrow morning.

In a matter of hours, newspapers across the country could be reporting on the Bush/Cheney Administration's expected announcement ... and its potentially devastating impact on some of America's most beloved wolves.

But today I need your help to let these federal officials know that Americans love our wolves and want to see them protected.

Please call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-WILD (9453) and speak out for our wolves. Leave a message if you can, and remember to let us know that you called.

[Kelpten]

*Sigh* Poor wolves. Desite all our patitioning we couldn't change their fate. It seems that what we did wasn't enough. We can give a little more struggle, but I fear we've lost this battle. And the wolves were just starting to make a comeback too. Now they'll be pushed back to extinction

[outwarddoodles]

I thought all animals in the YellowStone area were protected, because, that's kind of what conservation was all about.

[Blue-eyes in the dark]

He will be out soon enough, thankfully.

[IndianaJones]

What!!!? Again! Can't those evil humans ever stop!?

*sigh*

Those wolf haters, arrogant ignorant hunters, politicians are the ones deserve to be hunted and shot.

[Spongy]

Dammit... Why is this happening!?

[Ansuru]

This is happening because, while Big Oil bought Bush's snazzy cars, mansions, and private jetliners, it's the cattle ranchers whose money bought his cowboy boots and shiny Zippo.

/end totally biased and unresearched rant

[Shadow Wulf]

Why cant the election go by faster?! I bet any of the candidates would stop this!

[Howlitzer]

*sigh*

I have really mixed feelings about this and it worries me.

ok, unlike probably a lot of people here, I do not hate Bush. He's not to blame for every problem....including this one. Given, more should (and probably will) be done to ensure that these wolves will not suddenly be pushed back down to endangered levels...

I mean, given what it sounds like will suddenly happen to these wolves after they are no longer on the Endangered Species list....I really, REALLY suspect that there is more being done, and more being planned, to ensure their protection AFTER this goes through.

in terms of this issue... the act of removing the wolves from the endangered species list in these areas is not meant to cause harm to the wolves, it can be seen as showing that they are one of about 1% of species on the Endangered Species list that has ACTUALLY shown such significant improvement in population levels.

It seems to me that it isn't this act that should be protested against (seeing as how it's going to happen anyway)..... it's the way in which each individual state will now act on this change.

Here's what I think:

I know people will hate me for saying this...but if it's a matter of self defense, and ONLY self defense, this change will keep people's hands from being quite as tied... not punishing people for this anymore won't spell doom....

but the idea of all out slaughter of the majority of the wolves in an entire state, let alone the hunting of them for any reason other than that a SPECIFIC wolf or wolves has been demonstrated to pose a legitimate threat....that is disgusting and wrong. ONLY if necessary, relocation should be the PRIMARY form of "wolf management" if there is any, hunting should be an absolute last resort.

What should be done is a push for conservation based state policies after this goes through....NOT a scrambling about while we try to stop their removal from the Endangered Species list DESPITE the fact that it WILL HAPPEN.... if wolves are no longer at endangered levels, well, removing them from the endangered species list somewhat makes sense.... but that doesn't mean they should not or will not still be protected in OTHER WAYS so they can, at the very least, MAINTAIN their population at a good level...

That's what I think should be done...people should petition STATE governments at this point to ensure a conservation oriented plan... rather than sitting around and complaining about the inevitable Delisting of these wolves... YOU'LL GET MORE DONE THAT WAY.

and to sum this up....politics sucks. I hate it. People give me a headache.

[Xiroteus]

However it goes I want to see them protected.

[Lukas]

howlitzer does make a point, we should not baby the wolf forever, its now the states job to control the wolves and is our job to make sure they do it right

[Howlitzer]

howlitzer does make a point, we should not baby the wolf forever, its now the states job to control the wolves and is our job to make sure they do it right

exactly what I was trying to say... thank you.

Seriously, freaking out over this Delisting issue is not the most effective or direct way to help the wolves.... people need to speak up to state governments SPECIFICALLY about what plans they have for their wolf populations.

If anything, a state government is going to be easier to influence than the Federal government.

[Dreamer]

I'm just curious, but why do the states hate the wolves so much that they plan to genocide them after their delisting? I mean, it's just so comically destructive and evil, I don't know why anyone would do it.

[alphanubilus]

The very fact that the wolf is going to be delisted, should be good evidence that the wolves in said places, have made a big come back. A big enough come back to take them off the endangered list at least.

How many animals can boast that they are no longer endangered. In short being delisted could be a good thing.

Like anything else, there will be regulations at hand to prevent over poaching and senseless eradication of the species of which happened in the early 20th century.

[Howlitzer]

I'm just curious, but why do the states hate the wolves so much that they plan to genocide them after their delisting? I mean, it's just so comically destructive and evil, I don't know why anyone would do it.

exactly

that's why I doubt that it would really happen that way....if they seriously tried to do it, they would NOT get away with it.

Not all the states are like that, there are only a few that *supposedly* have "genocide" planned for the wolves when this happens...others actually have conservation in mind...

I mean, I wouldn't doubt that some of the things said about states planning on all-out-extermination of these wolves is either HIGHLY exaggerated, or just plain made up.

It seems TOO ridiculous to happen.

I just think that it is so freaking over the top that these doomsday wolf-extinction scenarios are NOT going to happen simply because we remove them from the Endangered Species List when they, are, in fact, no longer at "endangered" levels.

[PariahPoet]

It's nature's job to control the wolf, not the government. Everything would be fine in the natural order without stupid humans that messed it up in the first place.

[Howlitzer]

It's nature's job to control the wolf, not the government. Everything would be fine in the natural order without stupid humans that messed it up in the first place.

yeah...but we don't live in that world anymore and unfortunately neither do the wolves

[Berserker]

Whatever generates the fastest and most short-term revenue is what the state governments will go with. If the hunters promise to boost local economies by killing off wolves, as long as it makes more money than the tourism promoted by preserving them, by damn the governor will push it through. This isn't seen as a hot-button human issue like abortion rights; people aren't going to riot and blow up waiting rooms over wolves. Neither Bush nor any of his potential successors have a tear reserved; hell, the wolf could go extinct and it would be on the news for three days before being overshadowed by American Idol finalists.

[Doruk Golcu]

Which brings us back to my meeting with Dr. Mech. He actually considers the delisting of wolves a positive step. He also is unconcerned about wolves being hunted for several reasons. First (these are all according to him, except when I say something wrong due to faulty memory ), wolves at the moment have very high rates of population growth in anywhere they live in US, except Minnesota, where they are dealing with canine parvo virus. They have actually started to migrate to a lot of other states without human intervention. Second, he is unworried about hunting since wolves are elusive and it is very unlikely that human hunting will do much damage, which has historically been the case, EXCEPT when poison is used, which is illegal in itself and therefore will not legally happen even if the wolf is delisted.

He is also concerned about a little human fault which is our way of very rapidly changing our opinions about something. He thinks that if the population of wolves is not controlled at some point, they will start showing up in suburbs, which will cause a backlash and start calls for their extermination. This has apparently happened in some European countries, where wolves were protected by the government, got so numerous that the populace demanded for their extermination, which was done, they regretted doing it, protected them again, wash, rinse, repeat

There were other points, but these were some of the most basic.

[Noir-Okami]

This is kinda like the mountain lions in my region.
They're being hunted because 'there are too many lions.'
But they keep hunting all of the females with kittens.
And yet there are too many deer. Because the whole thing, the deer look like they're starving. And by starving, you can see their ribs. And a few years ago, they were saying that there was Chronic Wasting Disease.

So really, this is ridiculous. Oh, and the wolves in our region were hunted out years ago. But they'll be here if they aren't totally killed off before they get here.

But they'll probably open up a season once they get here because the wolf is no longer considered endangered.

Can nobody win?

I also think the wolf will be the fastest animal that was delisted to go back on the list.

[Berserker]

Wow old news. The delisting was reversed, as far as I know.

[RedEye]

Most of the states who planned genocide were states where either:
>Hunting is Big Business.
(Having hunted with a Guide, I can say without fear that most wolves are smarter than most guides. Of course, that was the time I had to find our way back to the truck because the Guide got lost...)

>Beef is a way of life; and ranchers would rather try selling that sick cow to a pet food plant than let the wolves have it.

Having dealt with both Guides and Ranchers, I have come to prefer wolves.
At least they're honest about their intentions: Dinner!

[*nagowteena*]

It's nature's job to control the wolf, not the government. Everything would be fine in the natural order without stupid humans that messed it up in the first place.

Exactly!

yeah...but we don't live in that world anymore and unfortunately neither do the wolves

yes, and who is to blame for this? people who are selfish, closed minded, hunters, and a lot of farmers.

now, I see nothing wrong with hunters who hunt for food, but those who hunt for sport, that's something else. they don't want wolves around so they have more game.

and farmers, they blame and shoot wolves for hunted cattle, when they are much to stubborn to get reimbursed from the government.

wolves are only trying to survive, if you were out hunting and starving, of course your going to hunt the most easy thing to catch!

humans are to blame for the wolf almost becoming extinct, and if it happens in the future, I'm sure it will be our fault.


we have done nothing but destroy and ruin things on earth.

[Noir-Okami]

we have done nothing but destroy and ruin the earth.

I have to agree with that. The most conservative estimates are that we'll hit total environmental collapse in 2050. But that's not including China and India in the calculations. I think. I need to check...

But then no environment will be able to sustain large populations. This is going to be problematic, because people would poach for what little food is left. So they'll hunt wolves so they can have their deer and cattle and/or the wolves will starve because people took all of the prey. (I'm being pessimistic, aren't I?)

[Kaebora]

This is all rather old news, but it technically wasn't "the Bush Administration" that delisted them. It was a wildlife committee consisting of Senators and House Reps. The Prez only signed the bill they would have otherwise approved without him. It was only specific breeds of wolves that were delisted though. Some are still considered threatened. It's still a sad reality, since wolves pose no threat to humans in the Yellowstone area, and hunting them is for their fur and nothing else. 100% profiteering. It sucks.