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Ninth Circuit Denies Motion to Bar Wolf Hunting in Northern Rockies

Date
August 26, 2011
Contact
Mark Salvo (503) 757-4221
In This Release
Wildlife  
#DefendCarnivores, #EndTheWarOnWildlife
Friday, August 26, 2011
Ninth Circuit Denies Motion to Bar Wolf Hunting in Northern Rockies

Hundreds of gray wolves may be killed in Idaho and Montana
Contact: Mark Salvo (503) 757-4221

Additional Contact: Steve Kelly, Alliance for the WildRockies ● 406/586-4421

San Francisco, CA – The Ninth Circuit Courtof Appeals has denied a request to enjoin wolf hunting in Idaho and Montanawhile the court considers an appeal by conservation organizations challengingcongressional action that removed the wolves from the federal threatened andendangered species list earlier this year. States will permit hunters to kill hundredsof wolves this autumn and winter while conservationists present their case toreinstate federal protection for the northern Rockies population.

“We are deeply discouraged that we didn’twin a stay of execution for wolves, but remain cautiously optimistic that theCourt will see the importance of protecting wolves from future persecution by asmall but vocal minority,” said John Horning, Executive Director for WildEarthGuardians. “The majority of the public loves wolves as is evidenced by the $35million wolf-watching tourism industry in the Northern Rockies.”

“We lost the injunction, we have notlost the case,” said Mike Garrity, Executive Director for Alliance for the WildRockies. “We will continue to fight to protect the wolves and enforce the Separationof Powers Doctrine in the U.S. Constitution.”

Congress passed a rider in April that contraveneda judicial decision and ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delistthe gray wolf in Montana, Idaho, and portions of Utah, Washington, and Oregon. TheU.S. District Court in Montana upheld the rider in August, although JudgeDonald Malloy wrote that, if not constrained by other caselaw, he would have ruledthe rider unconstitutional. Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of theClearwater, and WildEarth Guardians appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit,to preserve wolves, to protect the public’s interest in wolf conservation andtheir enormous investment in the 16-year wolf recovery program, and to uphold theSeparation of Powers Doctrine in the U.S. Constitution.

Idaho and Montana have set huntingseasons to commence on August 30 and September 3, respectively. Although itdenied plaintiffs’ current motion to enjoin hunting, the Circuit Court’s orderdid set an expedited schedule to hear the case this autumn when the court mightconsider the motion again.

Wolf Hunting Seasons in Montana, Idaho

Montana

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceestimates that Montana has 566 wolves (although the state estimates the totalat 645). Montana has issued at least 1,100 hunting licenses and set a killquota of 220 wolves for 2011. The hunting season will commence on September 3,2011, with various archery and rifle seasons scheduled through the end of theyear. Residents pay just $19 for a wolf license.

Idaho

The Fish and Wildlife Service estimatesthat Idaho has 705 wolves (although the news media has reported the state hasapproximately 1,000 wolves). Idaho did not set a kill quota for wolves and willoffer both hunting and trapping seasons in 2011-2012. The hunting season willcommence on August 30, 2011 and will remain open for up to six months in muchof the state. Residents pay just $11.50 for a wolf hunting license.

Hunting Effects on Wolves

Biologists, in peer-reviewed literature,have written that wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains are not yet recoveredand that hunting could put populations at risk. Other researchers warn thathunting can reduce wolves beyond their ability to recover. Killing wolves causessocial disruption in wolf packs, which can cause packs to disband. Killing thealpha pair can also lead to the loss of pups from starvation. Humans wiped outwolves in the lower 48 states by the 1940s because of misunderstanding andintolerance. Yet Aldo Leopold and others began to signal a warning in that sametime period that wolves are critical ecosystem engineers on the landscapeswhere they occur. The loss of these apex native carnivores can negativelyaffect entire biological systems.

Myths about Wolf – Livestock Conflicts in the West

Idaho states one purpose for wolf hunting in that state isto reduce wolf conflicts with domestic livestock, but the number of cattle andsheep depredated by wolves as reported by ranchers in the northern Rockies is highlyexaggerated. Twodifferent federal agencies track livestock losses attributed to wolves—the Fishand Wildlife Service (FWS) and USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service(NASS). FWS uses professional, verified, ground-tested reports from agents.NASS relies on unverified hearsay from the livestock industry. The differencebetween their annual counts is astounding. In Idaho, FWS verified 75 cattlewere killed by wolves in 2010, while NASS reported 2,561 unverified cattlelosses, which represents a 3,415 percent difference. FWS also verified that 148sheep were killed by wolves in Idaho in 2010, compared to NASS’s unverified 900losses, representing a 508 percent difference. View FWS’s verified livestocklosses here and NASS’s reported livestock losseshere.

 

Other Contact
San Francisco, CA – The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a request to enjoin wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana while the court considers an appeal by conservation organizations challenging congressional action that removed the wolves from the federal threatened and endangered species list earlier this year. States will permit hunters to kill hundreds of wolves this autumn and winter while conservationists present their case to reinstate federal protection for the northern Rockies population.