U.S. House Set to Vote on Bill to Remove Federal Protections for Wolves
Boebert-backed H.R. 845 would expand extreme wolf-killing practices nationwide
- Wayne Pacelle
Some lawmakers are hellbent on killing wolves, even though they are scarce. These animals provide vital services by reducing disease in deer and elk populations. And they generate tens of millions of dollars for communities in attracting eco-tourists who spend money on wildlife-watching experiences.
H.R. 845, a bill to remove all federal protections for gray wolves, is set for floor action this week in the House. The vote margin on a similar bill was razor-close last year, and it’s going to be close again. That’s why we need your engagement and your push to defeat the H.R. 845 wolf-delisting bill.
Please don’t waste a moment. Contact your U.S. representative in opposition to the legislation. And spread the word on social media for like-minded citizens to do the same.
What Happens when Federal Wolf Protections are Removed
It was a congressional rider in 2012 that resulted in the loss of federal protection of wolves in the Northern Rockies and that left wolves at the mercy of state legislators in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Legislators responded by allowing year-round wolf killing in Idaho and Wyoming. All three states allow neck-snaring and steel-jaw traps. Two of the states allow packs of dogs to be sicced on the wolves, resulting in open-air animal fights between these canids.
In all three states, there are no explicit prohibitions on ramming and crushing wolves with snowmobiles. That’s the opening that Cody Roberts and others seized in running down wolves in Wyoming and ramming them with 500-pound snowmobiles hurtling at the animals at 50 miles an hour. This sort of killing may expand to as many as 12 other states unless we defeat this bill on the House floor tomorrow.
If we don’t act today, we may see a replay of what happened in Wyoming in other states with wolves, particularly in Wisconsin, where state lawmakers mandated draconian policies to kill wolves if the species is removed from the federal protected list.
In the absence of federal protections for wolves, Wisconsin state lawmakers authorized hounding (using dogs to attack wolves), neck snares, and midnight hunts with night-vision goggles. In 2021, before we stopped the killing by winning in state court—and then reinforced that state win by winning in federal courts to restore protections in the Upper Great Lakes region—trophy hunters and trappers engaged in an orgy of killing, slaughtering 180 wolves in 24 hours, even though the quota set by the state was just half that number.
I know you must find it hard to believe that Congress could take up H.R. 845 to delist wolves in the wake of the revolting torture of a wolf in Wyoming, the stomach-churning assault on wolves in the Northern Rockies, and the fiasco that happened in Wisconsin. But they are, and we must respond to stop an expansion of these savage attacks on wolves.
Please urge your U.S. representative to oppose H.R. 845 and maintain federal protections that have been affirmed time and again by the federal courts. Please call your U.S. representative at 202-225-3121 and urge him or her to “vote NO” on H.R. 845, the Boebert-Tiffany amendment. Then, please use our sample letter and write to them today.
Time is short. The stakes are life and death. Wolves are in the crosshairs.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy & Animal Wellness Action, is the author of two New York Times bestselling books, “The Bond” and “The Humane Economy.”
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Key facts that debunk anti-wolf narratives
Wolves avoid people
There has never been a record of a healthy wild wolf attacking a human in the lower 48 states. Even so, the Endangered Species Act already allows lethal removals of threatened or endangered wolves for human safety reasons.
Random killing of wolves may only exacerbate wolf conflicts
Trophy hunting and commercial trapping of wolves often kill more mature wolves skilled at killing traditional prey, such as deer or elk, disrupting established pack structures. This leaves younger wolves in smaller packs, and they may kill livestock rather than elk, deer, or beavers.
Wolf packs drive away and reduce coyote numbers
When wolves are targeted by killing programs, coyotes seize the opportunity to expand in range. Coyotes are by far the dominant predator of livestock. Coyotes are responsible for 50 to 70% of all calf, cattle, lamb, and sheep depredations; wolves less than 5%.
Wolves are a bulwark against chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids
Wolves (and mountain lions) selectively remove deer and elk suffering from this fatal brain-wasting disease, which has no vaccine or cure. Found now in 36 states and five Canadian provinces, CWD causes an Alzheimer’s-like condition and is widely considered an existential threat to hunting. In this way, wolves are the greatest protectors of deer and elk hunting in many states.
Wolves keep deer and elk populations in check
Because of their selective predation, mainly on sick, old, and infirm deer and elk, wolves put a cap on the population growth of their prey, reducing deer-auto-collisions. (There are 1.5 million vehicle accidents a year involving cervids, and these crashes are most common in areas without wolves, causing $1 billion in vehicle damage and 200 fatalities.) Wolf predation on cervids also limits their effects on commercial forests and crops.