APNewsBreak: Mont. to kill wolves that prey on elk
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer says the state will defy federal protections for gray wolves and kill packs that have been hurting elk herds.
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Agencies seek authority to increase wolf killings
Agencies seek authority to increase wolf killings
BILLINGS, Mont. – Government agencies are seeking broad new authority to ramp up killings and removals of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes, despite two recent court actions that restored the animal’s endangered status in every state except Alaska and Minnesota.
Various proposals would gas pups in their dens, surgically sterilize adult wolves and allow “conservation” or “research” hunts to drive down the predators’ numbers.
Once poisoned to near-extermination in the lower 48 states, wolves made a remarkable comeback over the last two decades under protection of the Endangered Species Act. But as packs continue to multiply, their taste for livestock and big game herds coveted by hunters has stoked a rising backlash.
Fish and Game will try to kill all wolves on Anchorage base
Fish and Game will try to kill all wolves on Anchorage base
Encounters with aggressive wolves on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage have prompted the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to issue orders to eliminate the animals on the base.
Wolves that roam military land aren't ordinary
Wolves that roam military land aren't ordinary
State and military biologists have been looking to kill off or drastically thin two packs of wolves -- maybe 12 animals in all -- that roam Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and around the edges of Eagle River. Wolf aggression is rare in Alaska, but these wolves are different, they say.
State wolf plan sparks debate about translocation
State wolf plan sparks debate about translocation
ABERDEEN – State wildlife officials say there is new evidence of more gray wolves in eastern and northern Washington, a revelation that makes state Rep. Brian Blake think the state needs to let the wolves enter the state from Idaho and British Columbia naturally.
The Democrat from Aberdeen says he’s taking a hard line opposing part of the state’s draft wolf-management plan, which authorizes “translocating” wolves that end up thriving in Washington to the coastal areas, specifically the Willapa Hills and Olympic National Park.
“There is absolutely no reason for the state to get involved and somehow force the wolves here,” Blake said.
Pup could indicate a third wolf pack
Pup could indicate a third wolf pack
A gray wolf pup recently trapped and radio-collared near the Canadian border in northeast Washington indicates the state might be home to a third breeding wolf pack.
A wolf specialist hired by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife caught the 50-pound young wolf earlier this month in northern Pend Oreille County, just south of the Canadian border. Attempts are under way to locate and radio-collar adult wolves in the area, said a department news release.
The presence of the pup and photos of other wolves captured on a remote camera in the area indicate there is a pack in the area, said Harriet Allen, who heads the department’s endangered-species section.
By MATTHEW BROWN; Associated Press
Published: 02/16/11 2:56 pm | Updated: 02/16/11 3:16 pm
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.BILLINGS, Mont. — Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer says the state will defy federal protections for gray wolves and kill packs that have been hurting elk herds.
Schweitzer also told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he is encouraging livestock owners north of Interstate 90 to shoot wolves that harass their animals. He says state game wardens would stop investigating wolf shootings in that part of the state.
Livestock owners in southern Montana already have authority to shoot wolves that harass their animals.
The Democratic governor says he is fed up with years of litigation that have kept wolves on the endangered species list even as their population has grown to more than 1,700 across the Northern Rockies.
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