Urgent: wolf pack will die tomorrow if we don't save them
Jamie Rappaport Calrk, Defenders of Wildlife
Starting as early as tomorrow morning, Washington's newest wolf pack — only one of eight in the state — will be shot and killed, one by one.
Just a few months ago, we celebrated the discovery of Washington State's eighth wolf pack, named the Wedge pack for the wedge-shaped part of the county between the Kettle River on the west and the Columbia River on the east. However, this newly discovered pack has been unjustly blamed for attacking livestock, and the state has issued a kill order for all the adults in the pack.
Washington State officials are bending under pressure from a single disgruntled rancher — and despite expert claims that wolves were not responsible for injuring his livestock, officials have refused to call off the killing.
They've already shot one female from the pack, and the state is set to deploy a team of sharp-shooters as early as tomorrow morning to finish off the grisly job — unless you help raise enough of an outcry to stop them.
Call or write to Washington Governor Christine Gregoire and Director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Phil Anderson and tell them: don't kill any more members of the Wedge pack. This pack is just one of only eight in your state, and it's your responsibility to protect them. The future of wolves in Washington State may hinge on the precedents being set by you today.
Christine Gregoire
Governor of WA
Phone: 360-902-4111
http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact
Phil Anderson
Director, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Phone: 360-902-2200
Wolf pups too young to fend for themselves will be orphaned and could be captured or left to die if the state carries out its kill order on the Wedge pack. Please — I know you won't stand by while these pups lose their pack and possibly their lives, or are forced into captivity.
Defenders has worked hard over the past few years to promote management policies that allow wolves to coexist with ranchers and livestock, dramatically reducing the risk of depredation and the need for removing wolves. This latest move would be a big step in the wrong direction for Washington. Killing wolves without clear evidence that they were responsible for livestock depredation violates the state's own wolf management plan.
No wolf in Washington will be safe if the state is allowed to kill an entire pack based on one rancher's claims that are not backed up with concrete evidence. It sets a dangerous precedent, and we can't allow it after all we've done collectively to bring wolves back from the brink of extinction.
Killing wolves should be an absolute last resort, not the immediate go-to option whenever a sheep or cow turns up dead without clear evidence as to how the depredation occurred. Stop the killing in Washington now — call or write to Governor Gregoire and Director Anderson.
Thank you for speaking out to protect the wildlife that needs you.
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Sincerely,
Jamie Rappaport Clark President Defenders of Wildlife |