"All creatures great and small" - including wolves!

Photo of wolf by Mary Lundeberg.

Maybe it's the influence of my good friend Mary Lundeberg, a wildlife photographer, who passionately defends her subjects against the ravages of uncaring human beings, but here at Katalusis I jump at the chance to support an endangered species. This morning I'm posting a message from Jamie Rappaport Clark on behalf of endangered wolves in several states, which I'm sad to say, include my own state of Minnesota:

Help Us Fight Dollar-for-Dollar Without the protections of the Endangered Species Act, hundreds of wolves, including mothers and pups, will die. $30 becomes $60 $50 becomes $100 $100 becomes $200 $250 becomes $500 Double your gift today! Dear Virginia, Without firing a shot, two U.S. Senators may be about to trigger the death of hundreds of wolves. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and John Barrasso (R-WY) have introduced a bill that would forcibly delist gray wolves in Wyoming, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Without the protections of the Endangered Species Act, hundreds of wolves, including mothers and pups, will die. We’re fighting tooth and nail to stop these horrific attacks, and we need your help. Your urgent donation will help us fight this and other despicable efforts to turn back the clock on wolf recovery. Because the situation is so serious, our Board of Directors and National Council have offered to match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $75,000, until Monday, November 23rd! By introducing this bill just before final negotiations take place over the 2016 federal budget, Senators Barrasso and Johnson are hoping to encourage the inclusion of delisting language into a must-pass budget bill. If that happens, how long do you think it will take for more wolves to be killed? To add insult to injury, the bill would also prevent federal courts from ever restoring Endangered Species Act protections for these wolves, no matter how bad the situation gets! With federal protections gone, most of Wyoming will immediately be re-designated a "predator zone," literally a free-fire zone where anyone could kill any wolf at any time and for any reason. With your help, Defenders will mobilize our grassroots community to oppose this blatant abuse of Congressional power, reach out to the media to spread the word and continue to fight on Capitol Hill against this deadly bill. Please donate today. Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $75,000 until Monday, November 23rd. Thanks to you, we’ve been leading the charge for wolf recovery since wolves were first reintroduced into the Lower 48, more than 20 years ago. With your support, we’ve gone to court and won repeatedly to make sure wolves get the legal protections they deserve. We’re pioneering new, non-lethal strategies for wolves to coexist with people and livestock. With you at our side, we’ll weather this current crisis and look forward to a day when wolf recovery is truly complete! The wildlife you love is counting on you to help. Are you in? For the wolves, 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

"Animal Traffickers, Beware!"

Hi Katalusis readers, you may have noticed that I frequently post about politics, especially Hillary's 2016 campaign, and now and then I veer off into the subject of wildlife and our planet's endangered species. Today's post actually combines two of my most important passions, politics and wildlife - it's a newsflash from Save Animals Facing Extinction about a political victory in the state of Washington on behalf of endangered species (By the way, Hillary loves animals!):

We can’t thank you enough for your support Virginia. We could only pass I-1401 with supporters like YOU. Thank you for helping us spread the word about our cause. Thank you for helping protect 1O endangered animals from extinction. Thank you for passing the MODEL for the nation to end wildlife trafficking. THANK YOU for being a supporter of Save Animals Facing Extinction. YOU helped to make a difference in the lives of these animals -- and we can’t say thank you enough. Thanks again, -SaveAnimalsFacingExtinction.org

Elephant extinction in your lifetime?

Hi Katalusis friends,

When you think of the beauty and dignity of an elephant, the email below from Defenders of Wildlife will break your heart. May each of us do what we can to prevent this crisis in our wildlife family.

FW: CRISIS: Elephant extinction in your lifetime?
1 message

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Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife	Wed, Aug 26, 2015 at 7:30 AM
Reply-To: "Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife" To: Virginia Bergman
Virginia- Elephants extinct? It’s unimaginable, but it’s also very possible. Help us stop the countdown to elephant extinction. Donate today and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar until August 31st, up to a total of $150,000. Elephants and other imperiled wildlife are counting on you! -Jamie Help Us Fight Dollar-for-Dollar African elephants could be extinct in just 15 years. $30 becomes $60 $50 becomes $100 $100 becomes $200 $250 becomes $500 Please make an urgent donation today – with the match, your gift will go twice as far! Dear Virginia, It simply breaks my heart to share this news with you. At current levels of poaching, the African elephant could be extinct by the year 2030. That tragic date is well within the lifetime of nearly everyone reading this email. Defenders is fighting back – but we need to raise $150,000 by August 31st to sustain our efforts for elephants and other imperiled species. From now until August 31st, your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $150,000! Countdown to Extinction Poaching has reached epidemic proportions. Tanzania, once the African elephant capital of the world, has lost two-thirds of its elephants to poachers in just four years. Across Africa, nearly 100 elephants perish every day. That's almost one every 15 minutes. Armed poachers are like invading mercenaries, wiping out entire herds at a time. They are organized, sophisticated and lethal. No elephant is safe. And poaching isn’t the only threat these magnificent animals face. Elephant habitat disappears every day because of human encroachment. What’s worse – there’s still legal elephant hunting. In other words, 2030 might be too optimistic. But There’s Still Hope To stop the extinction clock, we need to stop demand for ivory. And it starts here at home – did you know that the U.S. is the world’s second largest ivory importer? Your urgent gift will help elephants by supporting Defenders’ work to: Fight to stop the importation of imperiled big game "trophies" such as lions, elephants and rhinos; Mobilize against Congressional efforts to weaken proposed restrictions on the domestic ivory trade; Support legislation to enhance international anti-poaching efforts and impose stricter penalties for wildlife trafficking; At the grassroots level, help enact state-wide ivory bans in key consuming states; and Support protection for imperiled species at international wildlife fora such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Can you imagine the end of elephants on Earth? It doesn’t have to happen, but we’re running out of time. Please help today, and remember, your gift will be matched until August 31st, up to a total of $150,000. For the wild, Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife

Elephants - an endangered species

Yes, Katalusis readers, those awe-inspiring, magnificent creatures - the elephants - are being exterminated by greedy poachers. I'm posting this message from Jamie Rappaport Clark on their behalf:

To: Virginia Bergman

Help stop elephant extinction in its tracks! Unless we act now, African and Asian elephants will slide towards extinction. Donate today and receive our brand new bumper sticker FREE! Dear Virginia, If you love elephants, this will break your heart. Reports have just come in showing that Tanzania, once the African elephant capital of the world, has lost two-thirds of its elephants to poachers in just four years. "I had never seen anything like that – there were carcasses everywhere," reported one observer. Can you imagine a world without elephants? That’s where we’re headed if we don’t act with the greatest possible urgency. Your emergency donation to Defenders will help us fight for elephants and other imperiled wildlife. Make a donation of $30 or more, and we’ll send you our brand new "Stop Extinction in Its Tracks" bumper sticker, free. This sticker will show your support and help bring attention to this critically important issue! You might be surprised to know that the United States is the second largest importer of illegal ivory in the world. The Obama Administration has taken some important steps to block illegal ivory imports and sales. But at the same time, the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) and its cronies are pressuring in Congress to make it easier to import ivory and other elephant "trophies." It’s almost too shocking to believe. As Americans, you and I must do our part to end the demand for ivory, stop the importation of illegal blood ivory into the U.S. and aid the elephant nations in their efforts to end the killing. An elephant is ruthlessly killed for its ivory tusks roughly every 15 minutes. Unless we act now to stop it, both Asian and African elephants will continue to slide towards extinction. Please help today! Sincerely, Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife P.S. Please put these stickers on your car or bike – we need to wake people to the urgent extinction crisis going on around us! Defenders of Wildlife leads the pack when it comes to protecting wild animals and plants in their natural communities

Tuning in to the cries of the nation's wolf population

Hi Katalusis friends,

I had hip replacement surgery on May 7, 2015 and since then I've been recovering in a transitional care unit at a local nursing home. I've got wi-fi here and cranked up my laptop the other day to maintain this blog and get back in touch with my online community, which includes a number of supporters of our wildlife. By the way, my occupational therapist interrupted my posting here this morning, and I learned that she, too, is a wildlife supporter - a nice coincidence.

So now that I've worked out with dowels and other OT stuff, let's welcome Jamie Rappaport Clark and tune into to the cries of the nation's wolf population:

America’s Wolves Need You! Congress has introduced a series of bills that would force wolves in seven states off the Endangered Species List! Donate today and receive our wolf beach towel FREE! Dear Virginia, A war is raging. And the future of America’s wolves could depend on you. They are dying by the hundreds – shot, trapped, gunned down from helicopters, left to die in snares. And now – in an effort to pander to anti-government ideologues and wolf-hating extremists – Congress has introduced a series of bills that would force wolves in seven states off the Endangered Species List. If these bills pass, nearly every wolf in the nation will be at the mercy of the states. More than 3,300 wolves, including mothers and helpless pups, have been killed since Congress stripped wolves in the Northern Rockies of federal Endangered Species Act protections. I know you care. And we need you now more than ever. Support our fight to save America’s wolves and imperiled wildlife! As a special thank you, with any gift of $20 or more, we’ll send you a wolf beach towel FREE that features the Defenders of Wildlife logo along with a beautiful color image of a wolf. There have always been wolf-haters. Driven by fear, greed and superstition, they exterminated wolves by the thousands. By the 1950s, wolves in the Lower 48 were all but extinct. Twenty years ago, Defenders helped reintroduce wolves to the Northern Rockies. New packs were born. As the 21st century dawned, wolves were making an historic comeback. But now the wolf-haters are fighting back harder than ever – and they’re using Congress to get their way. They’ve declared war on the very wolves we worked so hard to restore. Your urgent donation will help protect wolves and other endangered species wherever they are threatened. Donate today, and with your gift of only $20, you’ll receive our wolf beach towel FREE! Defenders of Wildlife is America’s leading voice for wolves, panthers, manatees and other imperiled wildlife. We are a dedicated team of field scientists, policy experts, wildlife lawyers, lobbyists and advocates with a remarkable track record of success. But we are only as strong as our base of supporters. People just like you. A war is raging. Won't you stand up to defend the defenseless? Sincerely, Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife

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

Saving America's forgotten wolves

Over time, I've begun to consider Defenders of Wildlife CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark a Katalusis writer. She emails me about her latest wildlife concerns, and I'm pleased to post them here. This just in from Jamie:

Dear Virginia,

You and I are almost out of time to avoid a heartbreaking tragedy.

Two different American wolves could become extinct in the wild within the next decade – unless we act now.

Wild populations of red wolves and Mexican gray wolves live 2,000 miles apart but could share a similar tragic fate.

Help us save America’s forgotten wolves, and other imperiled species, with an urgent contribution to Defenders of Wildlife.

Mexican Gray Wolves – Native to the U.S.

Despite their name, Mexican gray wolves are native to both the U.S. and Mexico!

Their fur a mix of gray, rust, black and cream colors, these smaller gray wolves once roamed throughout the southwestern United States. Slaughtered as vermin, they were wiped out in the wild by the 1980s.
   
In 1998, I personally oversaw the release of eleven Mexican gray wolves from captivity – the first of their kind in the wild for many generations. At last count, there were only 109 in the wildlands of Arizona and New Mexico – these beautiful animals are hanging on by a thread.

With your help, the Defenders team has led the fight for Mexican gray wolf survival. We have helped ranchers coexist with wolves, gone to court to make sure the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) does the right thing, and showed up and spoken up wherever we were needed. Now, the lobos are facing grave new challenges. 

Your urgent support will help us keep the pressure on FWS to finally save the lobos!

Red Wolves: A Fatal Resemblance to Coyotes

Even smaller than Mexican gray wolves, red wolves once roamed from Pennsylvania to Florida. Today, fewer than 100 animals survive in a small section of eastern North Carolina.

These slender, rusty gray wolves look a lot like coyotes which share the wolves’ habitat. Cases of mistaken identity may explain why at least 50 of these critically endangered wolves have been gunned down in recent years.

In November, Defenders won a temporary reprieve for red wolves, halting night hunts for coyotes in red wolf territory. But now, FWS is considering giving up on red wolf recovery altogether!

Your contribution will help our all-out mobilization to breathe new life into red wolf recovery efforts.
I know you simply cannot imagine a world without these wolves. It’s a future we can avoid, if we all do our part.

Thanks for all you do!

For the wolves,

Jamie Rappaport Clark President Defenders of Wildlife