Idaho Wages War on Wolves - National Humane Education Society
Paws Down! To the state of Idaho for passing SB 1211 which will allow hunters to kill unlimited numbers of wolves.
May 27, 2021
It has taken nearly fifty years for the population of gray wolves to flourish again throughout the western United States, after being granted federal protections under the Endangered Species Act. and now it is under attack in Idaho. Beginning July 1st, 2021, hunters will have the freedom to kill as many wolves as they want, thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 1211. Not only that, but SB 1211 will enable the state to hire private contractors whose priority is to wipe out nearly 90% of the gray wolf population in Idaho.
The gray wolf was first added to the Endangered Species List in the early 1970’s after its habitat was taken by settlers for hundreds of years. Only until the 1990’s did the future of the gray wolf begin to brighten, with the natural migration of thousands of wolves from Canada to Yellowstone National Park. Since then, government entities such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management have been slowly stripping away these federal protections in order to safeguard ranchers’ livestock which are encroaching on public lands, claiming that the wolves are a nuisance to free-grazing cattle.
In January 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially delisted the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List, leaving individual states in charge of their management, or lack thereof.
Wolves play an integral role in the fragile ecosystems of the western United States, as natural predators of elk and deer, they help control their populations naturally. In doing so, the wolves help to reduce the spread of infectious diseases prevalent in these species such as Chronic Wasting Disease.
Take Action: Since the passage of SB 1211, several animal welfare organizations have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reinstate the federal protections the gray wolf once had, including its relisting to the Endangered Species List. Please write to your legislators and implore them to support federal protections for the gray wolf!
