Other Answers (9)

• Wolves are killers of livestock and small humans. They can peacefully exist in areas away from population and agriculture. Any rancher that%26#039;s got a problem with wolves killing livestock is justified in solving the problem. Providing for the rancher%26#039;s family is a higher priority than allowing wolves to cause fear and destruction. 0% 0 Votes
• Mr. Faulty Cortex, it is indeed...Find me ONE documented, proven case of a healthy wild wolf killing a human being on the North American Continent in recorded history and I will eat every book I own while washing them down with Tabasco Sauce...
  
  Mt. Zion- I live around black bears. LOTS of them. I have to lock down all my garbage in a huge $300 bear proof container. I have to keep my cats indoors. Do I think we should shoot bears from airplanes? Of course not! It%26#039;s disgusting, cruel, and by the way, ILLEGAL. The Airborne Hunting Act was designed to protect animals from this abuse. The only reason Alaska gets away with it is because it%26#039;s ALASKA and almost impossible to police such a big area. Get your facts straight along with the other guy...
  
  Back to the question. Defenders of Wildlife and the National Resources Defense Council are probably the two strongest agencies involved in this issue. What we, the public, can do to help is to encourage their efforts through reasonable donations and membership (both orgs. are legit with the Better Business Bureau and use their membership monies very accordingly) and to protest the actions directly by writing or calling our Congressmen and urging them to pass legislation returning this %26#039;management%26#039; to a federal level. Writing or calling the Governors of the subject states may be effective if the volume of complaints are large enough (as in %26quot;I won%26#039;t spend ONE LOUSY DOLLAR to vacation in your state if you do this!%26quot; ) but generally the state government has already made up its mind due to the overwhelming pressure from hunting or ranching lobbyists.
  
  I agree that wolves are predators and will eat livestock or pets given no natural foods to select, but there are very efficient programs in place (also by Defenders) which reimburse anyone who loses a cow, sheep, or horse to ANY protected predator. (Wolf, Grizzly, Mountain Lion.) Also, although it sickens me to think of someone killing a wolf for the %26#039;sport%26#039; (What-they%26#039;re gonna EAT it?) in some places, the population of wolves can sustain reasonable and regulated hunting practices. The best example of this would be the wonderful state of Minnesota, with the largest population of wolves south of Canada, and the least amount of interaction/management problems. Minnesota kills wolves, legally, through a specific hunting season that does not reduce the population beyond the recovery level, like what Alaska, Wyoming, and Idaho are proposing. Minnesota also kills wolves, legally, that repeatedly prey on livestock.
  
  As to %26#039;hunters%26#039; who are so concerned about there being too much competition from predators on their treasured game species, in Alaska, the always fluctuating size of the Caribou and Moose populations depends almost entirely on weather. There simply aren%26#039;t enough predators to have the kind of impact on Alaska%26#039;s 1.5 MILLION caribou that the hunting lobbyists are suggesting.
  
  
  And for all those who think life would be better without %26#039;competitve%26#039; predators, I invite you to come here to New Jersey, where the #1 ultimate he-man predator is the AUTOMOBILE and dead deer on the roadsides are as common as signs on the roadsides. Dozens of people in NJ DIE every year in fatal deer/auto collisions. Not to even mention the ridiculous cost of auto insurance, of which deer are a huge factor in this state. I hit a deer 14 years ago in May in a borough with 10,000 people in it and I was the 417th deer/auto accident in that borough to that point. This is what happens when you offset the balance of nature- too many people and not enough land for the wildlife.
  
  To the asker of this question: Your heart is in the right place and your concern is so touching. I have felt your fascination with wolves, and I feel your frustration. This has been going on in Alaska for almost 20 years. 16 years ago, my friend and I distributed a hand-written petition here in NJ to stop Alaskan Governor Walter Hickel from doing the same exact thing. It went on for 3 months. Then a scientist named Gordon Haber (who lived in Denali Nat%26#039;l park and studied the wolves there for 20 years ) filmed a 6 month old puppy who had been snared and chewed off most of his leg trying to escape. He died on the 7 o%26#039;clock news while people watched in horror. This is what stops the slaughter. EXPOSURE TO THE TRUTH!
  
  I respect and admire your determination. You%26#039;re welcome to write me anytime. Conservationalist and Member: Defenders of Wildlife, NRDC, Sierra Club, Wolf Haven, Mission: Wolf 11% 1 Vote
• We were lobbying hard to keep the protection in place, and are disappointed it was lifted. It%26#039;s also allows the practice to chase the wolf down to the point of exhaustion and then kill it.
  
  I can%26#039;t understand why people get a %26#039;kick%26#039; out of killing any animal, whether it%26#039;s considered a sport or otherwise. Ironically, it%26#039;s 99% men so I guess testosterone plays a big part?
  
  If you want to keep in touch with animal issues, join Care2Connect; it%26#039;s a great, free forum where your voice can be heard.
  
  I live in Ohio which has a huge white-tailed deer population. We have 2 hunting seasons since %26#039;they have no natural predators%26#039; here to cull the herds. Well, coyote keep moving into the area and quess what? They get trapped and trasported out of here; God forbid people won%26#039;t be able to %26#039;bag%26#039; as many deer if natural predators are allowed to move in.......