Final, Quickie Hearing On Wolf Hunt Set For Tuesday, But...
...It was just a few weeks ago that the DNR had this to say in the 4th paragraph of a release about changes in the grey wolf's evolving protected status in Wisconsin:
There are currently no plans for a hunting season on wolves. This would involve a change in state law and a public rule-making process.So in the interim the Senate approved wolf-hunting rules and the Assembly is set to rubber-stamp it tomorrow, and you want folks to believe that in late January, this politically-tuned-in DNR had no such plans?
9 comments:
"To my mind the wolf is the shyest creature I ever tried to get a shot at, and to catch one in a trap you must use the same caution that I recommended in trapping for foxes. Never touch the trap with your hare hands, unless you are going to set it under water.
The best way to trap wolves is to take the carcass of a dead horse or other animal and draw it to a spring-hole, and then set your trap exactly as recommended for bears.
The environmental rape and torture continues.
Wolves may be poisoned by the wholesale. Where there are wolves in the country, they have, as I said before, regular routes over which they travel several times during the winter. By close observation you can learn about when they will be along,—within a week or so, at any rate. Now hunt up an old horse that is about to die, lead him to the spot that you have selected, kill him, and skin him. Take pieces of lard about the size of a hazel nut, and slices of tough flesh from the horse large enough to thoroughly enclose the lard. Spread the lard a little on one side of the flesh, and sprinkle upon it. as much strychnine as can be taken up on the point of a knife blade. Mix this with the lard; then roll up the meat neatly and tie it slightly, so that the strychnine cannot be exposed on the surface, and lay it down on the carcass of the horse. Put about a dozen of these baits exactly where you can find them at any time. When you come asrain to examine the place, as many pieces as are gone, just so many dead wolves you may expect to find within two or three rods of the spot. I have known a whole gang to be killed in this way in one night. Foxes may be killed in a similar manner, only very much less strychnine is necessary. When the wolf, the fox, or any other animal is killed with strychnine, the carcass should be burned at once, lest fowls or other domestic animals get poisoned by it, and the hide should be immediately tarred with alum and salt, as described in the chapter on dressing skins. If this is delayed, the hair and fur will come out and spoil the looks of the skin. If wolves kill a sheep or calf, or any other creature, for you or your neighbors, take the body to some place out of the reach of domestic animals and put poison about it as above directed, and you will be sure to make them keel over."
"We were rambling across the Portage flats in search of a decent trail on Saturday when my friend Mark stopped at the edge of a copse of alders. A few feet into the brush, a large, healthy wolf lowered itself back to the snow, exhausted and in pain, its right front leg crushed by a steel-jawed trap.
The wolf’s struggle was evident for yards around the wooden post to which the trap was anchored. Trampled snow was covered with splintered wood, chunks of ice, and blood spatters. But this once-powerful animal was done fighting. Its eyes watched us, but it was too tired to hold its head up and track our movements. Its breathing was shallow. We wondered how long it had been there facing its slow, painful death. There is no state law mandating how frequently trappers must check their traplines.
We wished we had a pistol, because the scene in front of us was one of dreadful suffering. A merciful bullet would have made everyone feel better. There was nothing we could do except spare the wolf further anxiety by continuing on our way."
"Trap a dog by its leg or neck, leaving it to struggle in terror and pain for up to 72 hours, and you’ll be charged with animal cruelty under Idaho law. Title 25 defines cruelty as “the intentional and malicious infliction of pain, physical suffering, injury or death upon an animal.”
Yet, Idaho Fish and Game proposes that Idaho wolves, cousin to our German shepherds, be subjected to the pain, injury and death by the use of snare and foothold traps. The proposal would allow wolf trapping from Dec. 1 through Feb. 15, 2012.
Steel foothold traps cause deep lacerations, bone breakage, joint dislocations and amputation. Snare traps, designed to strangle, are notorious for failing to kill, while inflicting massive injury. Trapped wolves can legally be left to suffer for up to 72 hours."
What did the wolves do to deserve this. Oh that's right, they become better hunters than man with a gun.
You are absolutely correct that bad process leads to bad law, and the Wolf Hunt bill up for Assembly vote on Tuesday is a case in point.
The bill AB 502 authorizes an extensive 4 ½ month long wolf hunting season to include night-time hunting, use of dogs, brutal traps, and disruption of wolves’ breeding season, all of which could place our state’s newly de-listed wolf population in jeopardy according to state wildlife experts.
At the legislative hearings, one expert after another identified the reasons the Wolf Hunt bill threatens the species’ stability, fails to target identified problem areas, and promises litigation. Sadly, their testimony fell on deaf ears.
The gray wolf was de-listed only a few short months ago following a nearly 40 year effort by state and federal authorities to restore the species under the Endangered Species Act. The cautionary principle, “haste makes waste,” truly applies to the Wolf Hunt bill, as its prematurely aggressive scope could cause the species to be re-listed as endangered once again. What a demonstration of Wisconsin waste and willful ignorance that would be!
Those of us who care about preserving and sustaining Wisconsin’s wildlife have a responsibility to make our voices known to legislators, who otherwise hear only from hunting and trapping interests. Wise stewardship of our state’s wildlife species depends upon sound science and proper restraint—the pending Wolf Hunt Law demonstrates far too little of either.
Plus, we've lost most of our roadless areas in the Chequamegon nicolet national clearcut up north. Now there is no security habitat for wolves and other species.
Anyone who hunts a wolf for fun is a loser, pure and simple. Killing one for predating on livestock is one thing, trapping them for sport is nauseating.
Don't be afraid to get in the face of the a--holes who promote wolf hunting; they are weak and fear-based and exemplify the worst aspects of humanity.
Road density in the grossly mismanaged Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest is above 5 miles/square mile. And they want to build more. Another nail in the coffin of the wolf.
The GOP disease continues to metastasize.
I'm sure the wolf biologists did not intend for there to be a wolf hunting season. And I'm equally sure they were not included in the decision-making loop.
JB is correct. Unbiased biologist would not agree to this type of wildlife exploitation for a variety of reasons:
1. Wolf populations in Wisconsin may have recovered to a level that is based upon little more than conjecture (e.g. 350 animals) yet the actual ecological connections that inevitably determine whether or not a species survives are not considered;
2. Population persistence does not equal functional viability of a species and we've known about this problem for some time;
(see Wildlife Populations: Minimally Viable or Ecologically Functional?
Richard N. Conner Wildlife Society Bulletin
Vol. 16, No. 1 (Spring, 1988), pp. 80-84.),
3. As I mentioned above, wolves, lynx, and other large, wide ranging species need large areas with low road densities to survive in our region. It's not that the road itself hurts the wolf - they use roads frequently - its the use of the roads by humans that cause our fragmented and road-heavy northern forests. However, the U.S. Forest Service continues to allow new roads to be built in historic roadless areas that are still roadless today. For the other areas that were considered "Roadless" back in the late 1980s, most are gone. Logged and roaded, these areas simply cannot provide the security habitat that was available during the past 20 years of wolf recovery;
3. Wildlife diseases like canine parvovirus and sarcoptic mange are now much more likely to infect wolves, a situation that has already taken place in Minnesota over the past few years;
4. Deer populations in many parts of the state continue to damage native plant reproduction and diversity including reproduction of commercially valuable species such as cedar and white pine, and keystone species like Yellow birch and Canada yew. Wolves keep deer moving across the landscape which may help to reduce grazing pressures over time;
5. Beavers continue to block trout streams resulting in elevated temperatures, sedimentation and ecological succession that does not favor native trout (or even browns, etc.). Wolves do prey upon beavers which in turn reduces the need for volunteers or agency personnel to remove problem dams;
6. Just as a good doctor would not stop giving a patient a cancer-drug at the first signs of a reduced tumor growth rate, a good biologist would want to study the population over a longer period to determine the risk that remains.
Paul, Jodi H-S, Dave, JB:
Excellent comments all, and thank you for taking the time to make them. I defer to your collective, obviously educated judgments regarding population levels and ecosytem impacts.
However, whatever decisions may ultimately be made to control wolf populations and predations, I deeply hope that trapping is not part of the picture. No animal deserves to die in a trap--in pain, hunger, thirst and fear.
As the 'higher beings' in Earth's food chain, we humans have an obligation to practice our stewardship with humanity. We outlaw dog fighting and cock fighting. Why is trapping OK? Or for that matter, bear hunting with dogs?
We humans have proven again and again that we are the Top Killers in the food chain. We have developed sophisticated weapons, scents, outdoor clothing, electronic monitors and trail cameras--all to better sneak up on these animals and kill them. Where is the sport? If we must kill at all, to keep animal populations in check, let's do it as swiftly and humanely as possible.
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