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US Senator complains about wolf pack killing in his own state02/10/2012 09:16:54
Senator Ranker has complained about the killing of the Wedge Pack September 2102. Washington State Senator Kevin Ranker, who is the chairman of the Washington State Senate committee that oversees The Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), has issued a terse letter to the WDFW describing its recent decision to exterminate an entire wolf in Washington State as "a serious failure." The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) undertook the extermination of the pack of wolves in Northeast Washington and an agency marksman killed the pack's alpha male just south of the Canadian border. The alpha male wolf was shot from a helicopter; it was the last of the six of wolves from the Wedge Pack that were killed by the ‘Wildlife' Service, including the alpha female. Ranker's letter outlines "deep concerns" over Fish and Wildlife's management of the Wedge Pack. He points out that state guidelines require ‘non-lethal methods of wolf management' be used first, something he said did not happen. Press reports indicate that the Wedge wolf pack were preying on one ranchers stock, and that that rancher persuaded the WDFW to eliminate the pack despite the fact that that few serious efforts had been made to deter the Wedge pack from predating the livestock. ‘Reset the stage' With the latest operation concluded, Anderson said the department would continue to monitor wolf activity in the Wedge region as it is doing in other parts of the state. WDFW said that they undertook the removal of the Wedge Pack in an effort to put a stop to its persistent attacks on livestock from the herd of the Diamond M Ranch in northern Stevens County. Since July, the wolves had killed or injured at least 17 calves and cows from the herd.
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Read the comments about this article and leave your own comment
Ranchers have always had sweetheart deals with the Dept. of Interior and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The Myth of Sustainable Meat - NYTimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2012/.../the-myth-of-sustainable-meat.htmlShare
Apr 12, 2012
Posted by: leesf | 07 Oct 2012 01:59:27
Its about time a public offical stood up for the public for once
Posted by: Rmeier | 05 Oct 2012 18:20:20
What is it with Americans? They spend thousands of dollars on reintroduction programmes, then set about slaughtering them all! It is not just happening in Washington State, it's also in Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming and probably other states I don't know about. Instead of working out a suitable plan to prevent conflicts, why is the first resort to shoot and destroy the animal? I think it is dreadful.
Posted by: Andrea Polden | 05 Oct 2012 16:37:05
What a joke. The Wedge Pack was Murdered because one rancher refused to co-operate with the WDWf by implementing any number of new techniques that would help deter WOLF predation. Instead of requiring this rancher, who by the way grazes his cattle on Public Land, to implement these proven to be effective techniques, The WDWF just folded and killed them all. I wrote to Dir. Anderson, asking him for clarification on the statements that he made that didn't make sense to me. They sounded like political dblspk that Abbot and Costello would use. For Sure this guy has no clue to whose on first. I don't expect to get a reply as I'm sure he is undergoing a barrage like he has never seen before. Including disparaging remarks from State Senator Kevin Ranker, Chairman of the Senate Oversight Committee for the WDFW. This is the same political BS we see in the Dept. of the Interior, the BLM and all the other regulatory agencies. If there is a problem with predation then they kill all the Wolves they can. What they should be doing is revoking Grazing Permits that allow ranchers to move cattle into Wolf Territories and then want to kill the Wolves because they need too eat. Predators go where the Game is. Commonsense. If you put undefended game in a Predator's territory then you will lose Game. Anybody with a modicum of intelligence should be able to figure that out. But I guess that precludes almost everybody in Wildlife management. These ranchers are out of control and have way too much influence with Ken Salazar and the BLM. The BLM is doing the same thing with wild horses. Clearing them off lands so they don't compete with cattle. They spend untold Millions on these horses so a rancher can graze his cattle on your land for almost nothing. It is time to put a stop to the Dept of the Interior, BL, Ken Salazar and the corrupting influences around them. It is time to get MAD and bring back the feelings we had in the Sixties and Seventies. I know a lot of you won't remember so you need to be reminded. POWER TO THE PEOPLE. WE CAN DO THIS Peace and LOVE
Posted by: Cliff Josephson | 05 Oct 2012 15:19:44