Animal rights group raps wolf plans
By JEFF GEARINO Southwest Wyoming bureau
GREEN RIVER — Animal rights advocates say the proposed Montana and Wyoming wolf management plans will resurrect the very threats that caused wolves to be listed for Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections in the first place.
Brian Vincent, program coordinator for The Animal Protection Institute (API), said in an interview Monday that Montana’s draft management plan for gray wolves would “throw open the door” to sport hunting, trapping and lethal control of the species.
Wyoming’s plan, he said, has also “essentially declared an open season” on wolves.
Both plans will resurrect “the very threats that nearly pushed wolves to extinction in the lower 48 states,” Vincent said. API is an 85,000-member nonprofit animal protection organization based in California.
“The ESA has helped resuscitate wolves … but the wolf remains in critical condition,” he said. The two plans will “essentially cut off life support and throw wolves out of the emergency room before they’re recovered.”
But Wyoming Game and Fish Department Deputy Director for External Operations Bill Wichers said Monday the state has a lot of confidence in its draft plan and believes it will provide adequate protections for a delisted wolf population.
“We feel that Wyoming’s plan, along with Idaho’s and Montana’s, will ensure that we maintain a viable wolf population … and ensure that wolves survive forever in the northern Rocky Mountains,” Wichers said.
“When you have organizations like the API stating that these plans are inadequate, that may actually be a good sign that they are in fact adequate,” he said. “They may be inadequate from (API’s) perspective, but as far as the adequacy of maintaining a biologically viable population, we think our plan is just fine.”
Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1996 and 1997.
Federal officials believe the endangered animal has met the necessary three-year population targets that will allow the agency to consider a petition to remove it from the Endangered Species list.
Montana, Idaho and Wyoming must have federally approved wolf management plans in place prior to the submission of a delisting petition.
Idaho has finalized its wolf management plan, Wyoming issued a draft plan last year and is writing its final plan, and Friday was the final day for public comments on Montana’s draft plan.
Wyoming’s plan calls for changing the animal’s current predatory animal classification to a dual status.
The dual status would mean that wolves in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, as well as in designated wilderness areas around the parks, would be classified as a trophy game species that could be hunted through Game and Fish Commission regulations. Wolves would be considered a predator subject to unregulated killing everywhere else in the state.
Montana’s draft plan seeks to manage wolves in a manner similar to the way the state manages mountain lions and black bears, based on habitat requirements and public acceptance.
The plan allows for the regulated harvest of wolves and the defense of property from wolves attacking, killing or threatening livestock, similar to other large predators under state management.
Vincent said he sees a lot of similarities between the Wyoming and Montana management plans.
“The difference between the two is the Montana plan on the surface looks better … but in some ways it’s an insidious plan,” he said.
“Wyoming’s plan is blatant … they want to kill wolves anywhere outside of the park and they’ve laid their cards on the table,” Vincent said.
“Montana, on the other hand, is trying to dress this up in all sorts of bows and ribbons to make it sound palatable to the public, but essentially they’re going to kill wolves as well,” he said. “But at least you can say Wyoming is being honest … they don’t like wolves and they’re going to kill them.”
Vincent said Montana’s plan will eventually lead to the sport hunting and trapping of wolves, will grant broad discretion to agencies and residents to manage livestock/wolf conflicts, and fails to protect habitat corridors between distinct wolf populations.
The latest 2002 counts show there are approximately 183 wolves in Montana, approximately 260 wolves in Idaho and there are about 218 wolves in Wyoming, including packs both inside and outside Yellowstone, according to state figures.