The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove wolves from the federal Endangered Species Act across the continental United States. The plan would do away with 40 years of wolf recovery and leave these intelligent animals vulnerable to trophy hunts, trapping, poisoning and persecution. This politically driven agenda is contrary to the clear scientific evidence that wolf populations have not rebounded across their range.
The Endangered Species Act is America’s most effective law for protecting wildlife in danger of extinction. It serves as an essential safety net when state management has failed to protect imperiled plants, fish, and wildlife. Since its enactment, 99 percent of listed species have survived and hundreds more are on a path to recovery.
Thanks to the Act, wolves have returned across the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Western Great Lakes states. Wolves are just beginning to repopulate in the Pacific Northwest, including here in California. Without federal protection wolves may never recover in places like Colorado or the Adirondacks.
There were once hundreds of thousands of wolves in the lower 48, but today there are only roughly 5,000. California is home to perhaps fewer than ten confirmed resident wolves at present. Their ongoing repopulation from neighboring states could be jeopardized should they be delisted. For example, in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, where wolves have already lost federal protections, trophy hunters, trappers, and others have killed nearly 3,500 wolves since just 2011. Federal protections are essential to help wolves return to remaining suitable habitats where they used to roam.
As part of our nation’s heritage wolves deserve better. Playing politics with imperiled wildlife is unacceptable. Act now to defend wolves across the country! Click here to sign the petition.
The comment deadline for wolf delisting is May 14th 2019 has been extended to July 15th. If you would like to submit your own substantive comments electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov – in the Search box, enter Docket No. FWS–HQ–ES–2018–0097, which is the docket number for this rule-making.
