Fwd: 1,000 Dead Wolves

From: Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife
To: rick.meril@gmail.com

Rick -- It's a sad day for wolf lovers everywhere. Yesterday, the 1,000th wolf was killed in the Northern Rockies from hunting and trapping. We reached this tragic number less than two years after Congress stripped gray wolves of their Endangered Species Act protection in 2011. This reckless killing has to stop. We've reached a heartbreaking milestone: The 1,000th wolf has died from hunting and trapping in the Northern Rockies since Congress stripped gray wolves of their Endangered Species Act protection in 2011.  Mothers, pups and packs have fallen to hunters' bullets and traps – 1,001 at last count in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. It's a tragic, unsustainable toll, and it cannot be allowed to go on. We need you now more than ever. Please donate now to help Defenders fight for wolves and other endangered wildlife wherever they are threatened. Make no mistake – there is a war on wolves and these magnificent and misunderstood top predators need our help. Among the most recent victims of this reckless killing was OR16, an Oregon-born male wearing a radio collar. He was shot on January 19th in Idaho. OR16 was a remarkable wolf. His wanderings took him through three states and he even swam the Snake River. Yet, after his astonishing journey, he made the tragic mistake of crossing into Idaho. He lasted only 33 days there, and was the second Oregon wolf to be killed in Idaho. Now we're looking at the loss of over 1,000 wolves in just two years. This accelerated killing is an example of how states like Wyoming are managing wolves as vermin to be eliminated, not as wildlife to be managed responsibly. There is no basis for allowing this many wolves to be killed this quickly. It's 100% politics that is driving state management. Please donate now to support our work for wolves across the Lower 48 -- and protect the wildlife and special places you care about.  The restoration of wolves in the Lower 48 is one of the greatest success stories of the Endangered Species Act. It's tragic that in this day and age we are still fighting myths, misconceptions and old hatreds toward these magnificent animals. Defenders of Wildlife is America's premier advocacy organization working to protect endangered wildlife. Our science and legal teams are renowned in the field. We are the voice of wildlife in Washington, DC – and we are your voice as well. We will not let politics get in the way of our work for wolves. Your urgent support today will make a big difference. Thank you for all that you do.  For our wildlife, Jamie Rappaport Clark President Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife leads the pack when it comes to protecting wild animals and plants in their natural communities »  1130 17th Street NW  |  Washington, DC 20036  |  1-800-385-9712 HOME DONATE NOW CONTACT US RSS FEEDS PRIVACY POLICY TERMS OF USE Defenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Defenders of Wildlife can be contacted at: 1130 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036