“There’s something rotten in Michigan — and the stench is coming from one rogue farm in the western portion of the Upper Peninsula. Based on state documents obtained through Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and an analysis of those documents conducted by the National WolfWatcher Coalition and Keep Michigan Wolves Protected, four-fifths of the livestock killed by wolves in the western management unit (96 animals out of 120) come from this one farm. The documents make plain that the owner of this farm is engaging in unsound, sloppy — and perhaps even criminally inhumane — practices.

The story told in the FOIA documents broke late last month in the Marquette Mining Journal and on Michigan Public Radio. Even though state law already allows the killing of individual wolves threatening livestock or pets, the state senator from this region has shepherded two bills through the Michigan legislature to allow trophy hunting of gray wolves — right after they were Gray Wolf May Lose Endangered Species Status . There are only about 650 wolves in the entire state, and that number is down from the wolf census two years ago.

There are only about 650 wolves in the entire state, and that number is down from the wolf census two years ago.

There were 11 farms that reported wolf problems in the western region of the Upper Peninsula, with most of them having only a single incident. In an investigation conducted this past winter, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found that the owner of that one farm, John Koski, did not live on the farm and did not provide proper care for his cattle, failing even to remove dead animals — allowing their carcasses to attract predators. The state provided three “guard” donkeys to him for free, yet DNR officials found two of them dead, and the third one was in poor condition. Koski also failed to use fencing as a protective mechanism, even though the state also provided that to him at no cost.

Koski was even paid for the livestock “losses” he sustained, pocketing $33,000 of the $40,000 paid out by the wildlife management unit.

It doesn’t take too much deductive reasoning to figure out what’s at work here: proponents of hunting and trapping wolves for trophies and for their pelts used Koski as a poster child for their hunt, citing enormous losses from wolves. What they didn’t tell people was that the vast majority of all incidents involving wolves occurred on one farm, which was clearly exhibiting the worst management practices and inviting predators or other animals onto the farm by leaving rotting animal carcasses around. It essentially amounts to a wolf-baiting situation, and then crying crocodile tears when the wolves show up for a free meal.

The people who want to kill wolves don’t want to admit that their agenda is driven by an irrational hatred and a lack of understanding of wolves. They try to dress up their policy goal of wolf-killing in socially beneficial terms. Specifically, they say the hunt will protect farmers.

The fact is, the state already allows the killing of problem wolves. And the state provides free tools to farmers having wolf conflicts and compensates them for the very infrequent losses that occur. Random killing of wolves in the forests and wilderness won’t do a thing to further mitigate the remote likelihood of a wolf incident. Sound animal husbandry practices are the solution.

Wolves are an economic and ecological boon to the state, driving wildlife-oriented tourism and keeping prey populations in balance, thereby reducing crop losses and automobile collisions involving deer. That’s why The HSUS urges all Michiganders to support two referenda — one to nullify the wolf trophy hunting season set to start in November, and the other to restore the rights of voters to have a say on wildlife management policies and deny the unelected political appointees at the Natural Resources Commission from having all authority to open new hunting and trapping seasons on protected species. To get involved, visit www.keepwolvesprotected.com.”

Pacelle’s most recent Op-Ed was “Sharks Gain Protections in India, Will U.S. Follow Suit?” This article was adapted from “‘Crying Wolf and Pocketing the Cash,” which first appeared as on the HSUS blog A Humane Nation. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on LiveScience.

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Colorado, Pacific Northwest public sessions terminated!!

“A decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to halt public wolf hearings in Colorado, Oregon and Montana  has met with criticism from environmental advocates such as the Defenders of Wildlife.

“We are very disappointed to see the Obama Administration and the Fish and Wildlife Service ignoring wolf supporters in some of the nation’s best remaining, unoccupied wolf habitat,” says Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders president.

The federal government is turning its back on Americans who want to see thriving wolf populations restored, adds Clark. “Those who oppose the Service’s premature and short-sighted delisting proposal deserve a chance to voice their concerns. By excluding their voices, the Fish and Wildlife Service is effectively cutting off public debate about the future of wolves in Colorado and the Pacific Northwest,” he argues.

The proposal to strip federal protection of the wolves across most of the U.S. has led to vocal dissent from environmentalists, but ranchers who have sustained  substantial economic losses due to wolf kills – many done as random acts of pack aggression not related to feeding needs – find some relief in the fed’s decision.

On June 6, 2013, FWS proposed to strip the federal protection for gray wolves. If approved, the delisting proposal could preclude any further wolf recovery in Colorado, Utah and other states, Clark believes.

He also predicts that nascent wolf populations in Oregon and Washington would be managed totally by state rather than federal government agencies with “no federal backdrop to prevent state wildlife agencies from significantly reducing wolf numbers in the future.”

He cites a poll taken in Colorado this year showing “very strong support” for wolf restoration in that state. Additional polling is underway to gauge support for wolf recovery in other parts of the West, including Oregon and Washington.”

**Special thanks to T.J. Burnham, “Indiana Prairie Farmer,” for providing this information! 

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© Flickr/Dennis Matheson (Wolf Picture)

“A Polish farmer has discovered a ‘stray puppy’ he had taken in to look after his sheep was actually a wolf.

Zbigniew Pieczyk, 50, from Podlasie, Poland only became aware of his slip-up after he heard the young wolf howling during the night.

“‘I thought it was a sheepdog pup or a German Shepherd,” Metro quotes Pieczyk as saying.

“Then when it started to howl every night I realized I’d made one hell of a mistake and I called the police.”

Sheep are the livestock most commonly killed by wolves in Europe, but luckily for the farmer in question his flock escaped unharmed.

The young wolf has now been returned to the wild.

In February 2013, the French government introduced a ‘National Wolf Plan’ to try and educate wolves not to attack sheep, but the idea was met with mixed reviews.”

**Special thanks to Rebecca Heyes“Digital Spy,” http://www.digitalspy.com/odd/news/a512642/farmer-uses-wolf-to-watch-over-sheep-after-mistaking-it-for-a-dog.html, for providing this information!

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“With the support of the Ontario government, children ages 12 to 15 will be taught how to cruelly kill wildlife by two hunting and trapping lobby groups.

In a press statement issued Wednesday, the Ontario Federation of Hunters and Anglers (OFAH) and the Ontario Fur Managers Federation (OFMF) ‘congratulated’ the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) on the introduction of a youth trapping program.

“Trapping is considered an activity of significant historical, social, cultural and economic value in Ontario for centuries, and one that results in economic benefits to the communities and individuals,” said Minister of Natural Resources David Orazietti in the statement. “Ontario trappers have worked tirelessly for many years towards a program like this which will guide youth to be safe and responsible trappers.”

This disturbing news begs the question: why are our tax dollars supporting a trade that most residents abhor? Why are we supporting an activity that is wholly dependent on the suffering of innocent wild animals? And why is history being ignored?

The history of trapping in Canada is not a glorious, character-building activity. It led to the extinction of the sea mink; it nearly destroyed beaver populations across the continent; it has ripped apart ecosystems; and it has caused suffering to immeasurable levels.

We ask MPP Orazietti if he has ever held a dying animal in his arms, looked into its eyes and seen the fear, the pain and terror it must experience while in the clutches of a trap. We ask him if he has sat with the growing number of families who have lost pets to the mindless devices. We ask him if, after making this deal, he has any humanity left.

Send a letter to your local MPP and MPP Orazietti to tell them to end this madness. Tell them the truth behind trapping and the fur trade. And tell them that any politician that supports this archaic and cruel activity will never represent you.

Use our form letter below to let your MPP know what you think. MPP and Minister of Natural Resources David Orazietti can be reached by email, phone, fax, or snail mail with these details:”

dorazietti.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Room 202, 2nd Floor
432 Great Northern Road
Sault Ste Marie, Ontario P6B 4Z9

Phone: 705-949-6959
Fax: 705-946-6269

**Special thanks to “The Association for the Protection of Fur Bearing Animals (http://www.furbearerdefenders.com/blogs/blog/63-08-2013/361-ontario-wants-to-teach-kids-to-kill)” for providing this information!

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Wildlife Poachers Immune from Prosecution Contact: Wendy Keefover (303) 819-5229

“Tuscon, AZ. WildEarth Guardians and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance late last week filed an amended complaint alleging that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has failed to prosecute individuals who have killed animals protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because of its secretive “McKittrick Policy.” Under this policy, the DOJ will only prosecute cases for the illegal killing of ESA-protected species when it can prove the impossible: the mental state of the killer and that he knew the identity of the species at the time he pulled the trigger. This policy is plainly inconsistent with both the intent of Congress in enacting the ESA’s criminal provisions and with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS’s) interpretation of the ESA. In the amended filing, the groups ask the federal court to require that the DOJ “consult” with the FWS on this policy under the provisions of the ESA.
“The McKittrick Policy has become the ‘poacher-protection act,’ with devastating results, especially for exceedingly rare Mexican wolves,” said Wendy Keefover, Director of Carnivore Protection for WildEarth Guardians.
During the tenure of DOJ’s policy, 48 Mexican wolves were illegally shot in the wild.  Only two of these incidents resulted in a federal prosecution for illegal “take” (harm or killing) under ESA. The groups believe that the McKittrick Policy has emboldened individuals who are opposed to the conservation of endangered species to disregard the law, as they know that an illegal shooting will almost certainly not lead to federal prosecution. For the Mexican wolf, the effects of the Policy have been cataclysmic:  illegal shooting is by far the highest source of mortality for the free-roaming Mexican wolf population.
Plaintiffs obtained additional new information since the first filing that shows that both state and federal wildlife officials have been critical of the McKittrick Policy, including then director the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jamie Rappaport Clark, who wrote that the policy “will result in little to no protection for this Nation’s most critically endangered species,” and former U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming, David Freudenthal (who later served as Wyoming’s governor), who stated that the policy should be rescinded because a hunter should never pull a trigger unless the target has been positively identified.
“The McKittrick Policy is a literal get out of jail free card provided by the very agency charged with prosecuting wildlife crimes,” said Judy Calman, Staff Attorney with the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, “and unfortunately, without enforcement, some endangered species will just be live targets to those who shoot illegally.”
The groups seek to get the policy rescinded as it would send a clear message that shooting Mexican wolves and other federally-protected animals will not be tolerated by the U.S. government.”

**Special thanks to “WildEarth Guardians,” http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8781&news_iv_ctrl=1194#.Uh06OkbD_IU, for providing this information!

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