Oregon Retreats From Wolf Protection, as Possible Setup for Trophy Hunting
Wolves rarely kill cattle, and they remove the sick and weak deer and elk, unlike human hunters who often seek out the biggest and best specimens. Photo by Thomas D. Mangelsen/For HSWLT
Even though Oregon has fewer than 90 wolves who occupy just a small portion of their historical range there, its Fish and Wildlife Commission this week removed them from the state’s list of endangered species. This administrative action clears away one key barrier to a trophy-hunting and commercial-trapping season on wolves in Oregon, and it’s an act that speaks more about politics than science or sound management. It’s the second recent adverse action against predators approved by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission, which not long ago dramatically expanded cougar killing on over 6,000 square miles of Oregon lands.
Oregon’s wildlife commissioners are not alone in displaying retrograde attitudes toward native carnivores, buying into the irrational and overstated rhetoric of some ranchers and trophy hunters that wolves and cougars are a threat to cattle herds, wild elk and deer, and even people. It’s a problem in other states as well.
Yet the reality is, wolves rarely kill cattle, and they remove the sick and weak deer and elk, unlike human hunters who often seek out the biggest and best specimens. Wolves and cougars are important for maintaining healthy ecosystems, and scientific literature is loaded with evidence to support that contention.
Wolves are indeed reclaiming territory in Oregon and other parts of the West, having emigrated from the northern Rockies where they’ve been persecuted by trophy hunters and commercial trappers. The states of Idaho and Montana set loose the wolf killers, and Wyoming did so, too, until a lawsuit from The HSUS and other groups restored federal protections for wolves. Trophy hunters kill hundreds of wolves each year, using cruel steel-jawed traps or shooting them for trophies, robbing families of their lifelong mates and brothers and sisters.
In spite of this persecution in the northern Rockies, wolves have actually expanded their range, recolonizing portions of the Pacific Coast states that they called home prior to 1950. There are about 100 wolves in Washington and one breeding pair, including the now-famous wolf known as OR-7, with pups in southern Oregon and northern California. Until this latest action from Oregon, these states have together been conducting something of a clinic on how not to overreact to wolves and how to responsibly manage them. California has classed them as endangered species, and the animals are fully protected there. Oregon and Washington have brought together key stakeholders for rational discussions and allowed some killing of individual wolves who get into trouble, but have resisted the impulse to allow hunting or trapping or to engage in mass killing.
Wolves and cougars are not only an ecological boon because of the top spot they occupy in their habitats, but they are also an economic boon. When you take wolves’ net effect, they are profit centers to the states that are lucky enough to claim free-roaming wild wolves. More and more, as we’ve seen at Yellowstone, they are also a magnet for tourism, bringing economic benefits to rural communities in the form of lodging, food, supplies, and everything else associated with wildlife watching.
The Oregon commission’s decisions on wolves and cougars shows callous disregard for the vast number of Oregonians who oppose the killing. We join with U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio of central and southern Oregon in condemning the delisting of wolves and in urging the governor and the legislature of Oregon to reverse the action. The new policy of persecuting cougars is abominable enough and the idea of setting up a repeat situation for the state’s small, first-generation population of wolves is similarly unthinkable and unbearable.
is it possible to start a petition for this.? trophey for wolfes … this is ridiculous …
when can they leave them alone ..
they have nothing else to do .? many needs help at this time in the world ..
get a life guys and girls… (( i know they do it too))
Luice.
Please save the wolves!
If this keeps up we will be killing all our wildlife. God put them here for a reason. Please leave them alone. Need to have less trophy hunters and more wildlife.
Please stop killing our wildlife. More wildlife and less trophy hunters. This is a beautiful state. Let the wildlife make it more beautiful. Rifles and bows dont help at all!
Why oh why do idiots want to kill these beauties.?
To Peter DeFazio: How can this happen? A handful of haters wins?! We all know they are egotistical, arrogant sub – humans who have no respect for laws or life. Those 81 wolves will be DEAD in a short while. Surely you have a loop hole that will turn this mistake around?!
The wolves should be left alone – they belong there….and are just starting to get settled back in. There are plenty of hunting opportunities without killing all the wolves off.
We need to find a place for everyone in this world…especially the animals !
I love nature, i love all animals, but the wolf has always drew me since i was a little girl , they have always been close to my heart , people need to stop hurting and killing my/our beautiful precious wolves no animal deserves to be hurt or killed for sport or what ever lame excuse they feel the need to justify what their actions …….
i would simply like to remind all Oregon Politicians That Wolves are essential to the states continuing ecological sustainability.and should any of you choose to allow this de-listing to become law here? I will Be Forced into Changing my Vote come the next Elections in the State…The Cattlemen s Association does not Own Me..
Mike the Werewolf Collins
Mike Collins, I sure hope you stick to your gun’s. I ‘d like to see an end to . To all this poaching of the beautiful animal’s, Let them alone. Take up bowling. golf. art. they seem to be macho sport’s for you men that want to have trophy’s , So Oregon, & the other state’s ban the wild life before you mess up the balance of mother nature. Poaching & traping should be against the law all over the world. I am a lover of animal’s children & value of live’s, humanity.
TO HUMANE SOCIETY:
You can reach over 50,000 animal advocates if post on Cecil FB groups, and 35,000 on Shame Walter Palmer group. Also Millions more all over FB in Animal groups! and around the world!
Also we need one POWERFUL HONEST ORGANIZATION, could you help?
Not WWF, too corrupt!
Humane Society seems to be an honest FOR ANIMALS, but you’ll have to be ANTI HUNTING! We’ve read Wayne’s info about the Safari Club and Humane still supports hunting!!!!
If you go ANTI hunting MILLIONS OF US WILL UNITE WITH HUMANE SOCIETY TO KEEP ANIMALS, WILDLIFE SAFE!!!!
ONE BIG JUGGERNAUT!
SCI, etc. will have to dissolve!!!
Sincerely,
Ms. Gray
These animals should be left alone to live as God meant them to. You people who love trophy hunting must be Godless people. When your time here on earth is up, I’m sure there will be a whole different expression on your face.
“This administrative action clears away one key barrier to a trophy-hunting and commercial-trapping season on wolves in Oregon, and it’s an act that speaks more about politics than science or sound management.”
This does not appear to be true. Please see http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2015/November/110915.asp for the reality of the situation.
“The Wolf Plan continues to provide protection of wolves into the future. Any take of wolves is tightly regulated in all phases of the plan. Non-lethal preventive measures to prevent wolf-livestock conflict are the first choice of wildlife managers in all phases of wolf management. There is no general season sport hunting of wolves allowed in any phase of the Wolf Plan.”
That was a terrible thing to do! They went against science and conservation. That’s totally unacceptable. We’re not giving up on this fight! How very disappointing. Wildlife needs protection, not harm. Stop the hunts, save the wolves. Keep fighting! Stop playing politics.
Ho’ There would come a time when the earth being ravaged and polluted, forest being destroyed, the birds would fall from the air, waters would be blackened, fish would be poisoned in the streams, and the trees would no longer be. For what will happen to Man without the Beast? Mankind as we would know it would all but cease to exist. For They shall die of a Lonely Spirit, and a Loneliness of Heart. But For Some Reason The Europeans that came and took what doesn’t belong to them, and knows not of Respect of The Land and Of all that inhabits This Great Mother Earth. “When You Show Respect To Other Living Things. They Will Also Show Respect In Return.”
http://youtu.be/isYtCjDLS8U
The Time For Change is Now. It’s going to take not just one but all People of This Nation. We must come together as One in order to Help Save Our Wolves. The segregation of color, religion, nationality has to be forgotten for we are all related. We all come from the same Creator. The same Earth we must help This World survive or as She perishes we to shall perish along side Our Great Mother Earth. Aho’
Put wolves back on the protection list. Theirs 83 . Are you determine to kill them off completely.
Okay, now we start with the hunter – this person is a lot like a serial killer who is into snuff films. They stock, bait and use technology to kill their prey. They take a souvenir of their conquest along with taking pictures and making films of the adventure. The innocence of the animal is a lot like the innocence of children. Now let’s look at Government agencies – these agencies are run by those who have yet to follow the changing sentiment of the public of which they exist to serve. Instead they hold fast to their special interest groups who are utilizing FEDERAL land (the people’s property) to graze cattle at a savings to the rancher who sadly intends on sending these animals to market for profit or the hunter who claims that the fees they pay to take a few animals pays for conservation of the remaining population of animals. This is what each one of these hunters’ claims as they get their jollies off the blood sport. This of course is RIDICULOUS. They do not pay enough to hunt and kill the peoples protected animals on the peoples land. There are far less hunters than people who protest the right of these people to hunt. Let’s put this to a VOTE of the people. The hunters would LOSE. Okay now let’s look at those who would benefit the most if these populations of animals went extinct – surprisingly those who patent the DNA of these animals! There are scientists out there who are associated with the Pharmaceutical industry and others, who believe wiping out whole species is no big deal. They can just clone more. We will never have back the species we lost but worse, the new species they will try to sell us on are NOT OURS but belong to those who create them to do what they chose with. It sounds SCI-FI but start googling it. THIS IS THE TIME TO STAND UP! DEFEND OUR WILDLIFE…. The earths animals are being driven into extinction from habitat loss, hunting and environmental changes. If we do not stand up for change now, we will lose them all. I’m not willing to do that and I hope there are a lot more people out there like me. If each of us address these issues at a local level by attending Fish and Wildlife meetings, protests, contacting your state and federal representatives concerning this issue, and invest in educating the public through billboards, news articles, blogging, etc. think of the impact we could make.
Wow…I’m from Texas and always thought we had the exclusive on ignorant hunters with no respect for wildlife. I always have thought of Oregon as a beautiful state with educated citizens who respect nature. How wrong I was!!
So what’s new on this post? Any update at this time Feb.26th 2016? or is it that most wolves are dead already??? malditos hunters
Leave the wolves a lone. That’s there land and they should be left alone.
Troufy Hunters will kill them all! I don’t like this!
I don’t like hunting at all and it should not happen because the hunters
don’t stop until they are all dead!
The wolves should be left alone because that is they’re land where they
live.
This should not happen!