Death of a Druid: Yellowstone Wolf Killing Begins
Rodger Schlickeisen
One of the first victims: Wolf 253M -- a celebrity wolf, affectionately known as "Limpy."
Limpy was many things to many people -- to wolf-watchers, he was the hobbling member of Yellowstone's famous Druid Peak Pack. To Utahans, he was the first wolf to be seen in the state for more than 70 years.
But wolf 253M's celebrity didn't save him in the end. Limpy and two other wolves were shot dead in an elk feeding ground, part of Wyoming's brutal shoot-on-sight policy that covers virtually the entire state.
Limpy's death was just the beginning. It's been 26 days since wolves were stripped of federal protections in the Greater Yellowstone area -- and at least 17 wolves have already been killed in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. And there are surely more to come.
Officials in Idaho changed their state law on the day wolves were delisted, making it far easier for anyone to kill wolves near livestock or domestic animals.
In Wyoming, state officials stripped all protection from wolves in 88% of the state. Locals have organized weekend eradication "wolf hunts" to kill any wolf that they find. One group tracked a wolf for 35 miles on snowmobiles before shooting it dead.[1]
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Sincerely,
Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife |
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