Federal gunmen kill 19 Idaho wolves

It's sickening. Thanks to communications over time with Jamie Rappaport Clark at Defenders of Wildlife and my friend Mary Lundeberg at Nature Connections, I feel a kinship with wolves and other wildlife, and it's nearly as painful to learn of a massacre of wolves as it is to read of the latest ISIS beheadings of members of my own species.

Here's the latest from Jamie:

Dear Virginia,

We’ve just learned that federal gunmen have aerially shot 19 wolves in remote Northern Idaho at the request of the state.

The killings took place on U.S. national forest land in order to artificially boost elk numbers to benefit sport hunters and outfitters.

This is a travesty pure and simple.

Please help us stop the killing with an urgent donation to Defenders of Wildlife.

Defenders will take whatever action is necessary to stop this tragedy.

Defenders is the only national organization with staff on the ground in Idaho who not only worked to help restore wolves, but who are actively working at the statehouse and state wildlife commission to testify against actions threatening wolves.

Are you as angry as I am that the federal government is hiring out its employees to Idaho to kill wolves from the air?

Please help with a generous donation to protect wolves and other vulnerable wildlife!

The federal wildlife kill-for-hire agency, ironically called “Wildlife Services”, has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Idaho to carry out the state’s relentless wolf killing agenda. That this latest killing took place on federal public lands only compounds the outrage.

And while the federal government spent millions of dollars helping to restore and recover wolves in the Northern Rockies, it is now helping Idaho slaughter wolves to boost elk populations, causing the situation for wolves to grow more dire.

The number of breeding pairs of wolves surviving in the Idaho wild has been plummeting ever since the state was given back control over wolves.  In 2011, there were 40 breeding pairs in the state, but by the end of 2014, estimates projected that number as having declined by 45% to 62%. Based on these plummeting numbers of breeding pairs, the future of Idaho’s wolves is increasingly grim.

If you love wolves as much as I do, you’ll want to do everything possible to protect them from these appalling attacks by federal gunmen.

Your support matters more than ever. Can I count on you to help?
Thanks for standing with us to protect wolves and other imperiled wildlife.

Sincerely,

Jamie Rappaport Clark President Defenders of Wildli

Stop the indiscriminate wildlife slaughter!

Dr. Lundeberg holding a swan.

Try this: go to wildlife photographer Dr. Mary Lundeberg's website and gaze in wonder for a time at the beauty of the birds and beasts in her hundreds of dazzling photos.

Then read this message from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president of Defenders of Wildlife and see if it doesn't make your blood boil:

A small division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) known as “Wildlife Services” is tasked with resolving conflicts between people and wildlife, but their Predator Control Program continues to operate with a kill-first mentality!

This program, that has killed more than 50,000 “non-target” animals since 2000, including endangered species and household pets, is also responsible for the slaughter of literally hundreds of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies each year.

Now let your outrage motivate you to do something about it:

STOP THE INDISCRIMINATE WILDLIFE SLAUGHTER!  This brutal, kill-first mentality needs to be stopped! Demand accountability for the taxpayer funded carnage – take action today! Dear Virginia, They’re like a government hit squad killing wildlife for hire. And you and I are footing the bill. A small division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture known as “Wildlife Services” is tasked with resolving conflicts between people and wildlife. But their outdated methods and mentality result in the needless killing of thousands of wild animals each year! That’s why we are demanding a thorough audit of the USDA’s Wildlife Services Predator Control Program. Please join us in demanding immediate and swift action. Their Predator Control Program’s methods are brutal, scientifically unfounded and the death toll is simply astounding. In fact, Wildlife Services agents have accidentally killed more than 50,000 animals since 2000 – animals that were NOT targets -- including imperiled and protected species and household pets. Appalled? We are too.  Wildlife Services is the government’s top wildlife killing machine; a program that operates in much of the country with a kill-first mentality, usually without a second thought to resolving conflicts using proven non-lethal techniques. Wildlife Services has gone too far for too long, and they need to be held accountable! Please take action and urge the USDA to take immediate action and perform an audit of the Wildlife Services Predator Control Program. The work of this relatively unknown agency is inefficient, ineffective and scientifically unfounded. Wildlife Services has killed more than 50,000 “non-target” animals since 2000, including endangered species and household pets.  The program has recently been the subject of public scrutiny regarding the deaths of non-target species including an endangered Mexican gray wolf. Most of WS’s lethal predator control work is at the request of ranchers and big game hunters.  They are responsible for the slaughter of literally hundreds of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies each year. This agency should know better! Its own researchers have identified non-lethal alternatives that protect livestock and ranch animals without the unnecessary killing. We work so hard to protect the wildlife that make our country such a remarkable place. This taxpayer-funded travesty must be stopped before more animals are needlessly killed. Please take action now and help hold Wildlife Services Accountable! For wildlife, Jamie Rappaport Clark President Defenders of Wildlife

HOME DONATE NOW CONTACT US RSS FEEDS PRIVACY POLICY TERMS OF USE

Mary Lundeberg's photos of endangered animals

Dr. Lundeberg holding a swan.

This collection of wild life photographer Mary Lundeberg's photos of endangered animals will motivate you to do what you can on their behalf.

Connecting people to nature through photos and stories: The Spirit of the Swan

Mary Lundeberg holding a juvenile swan for banding.

Update: The Spirit of the Swan currently ranks in Amazon's top 100 bird e-books for children.


The mission of Nature Connections, the imprint of The Spirit of the Swan, is “connecting people to nature through photos and stories.”  Co-authors and wildlife photographers Mary Lundeberg and Tammy Wolfe fulfill that mission beautifully in this children’s book in which the text is artfully illuminated with stunning photographs no illustrator could ever hope to match.

Responsible parents and educators concerned about the environment will welcome The Spirit of the Swan as a compelling story that will not only hold the interest of elementary school age children, but will also help them better understand and appreciate the natural world.

The Spirit of the Swan is based on the news account of an illegally shot Trumpeter Swan restored to health, released into the wild, and reunited with his mate. Lundeberg and Wolfe remind their readers that Trumpeter Swans have been reintroduced in the Midwest after being hunted to extinction.

Mary Lundeberg at a gallery reception of her swan photos.

The fictional account of the incident begins with the mating of the two swans, Cob and Penny.  Penny's heart is captured by Cob's "music, strength, and courage." Readers  catch a glimpse of how the male protects his mate and her eggs from predators. In this case, despite Cob's brave intervention, only one egg survives the invasion of an otter. Cob and Penny teach their single offspring Ziggy the spirit of the swan: "strong and joyful."

The family of three is migrating to their winter home when Cob, the leader of the flock, is shot. We witness the rescue of the wounded Cob and the courage of Penny and the young Ziggy, as despite his grief, he continues to grow and develop until his father’s joyful return.

The story concludes with the mating of Ziggy and Sarah and in keeping with the recurring theme of music, we read: “The cycle of life continues as swans sing again in the Midwest. The majestic birds multiply and music fills the marsh.” 

The Kindle edition of The Spirit of the Swan is now available at Amazon.com. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will support the Crex Meadows Wildlife area in Wisconsin.