Wolf News - March 2021

SOUTH ISLANDERS CALLING FOR PAUSE ON WOLF HUNTING AS PACK SIGHTINGS DROP

March 31st, Vancouver Island: Officials suspension of recreational wolf hunting until study completed on its impacts

MONTEZUMA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ASSERT OPPOSITION TO WOLVES

March 30th, Colorado: Impacts on livestock a concern; wolf advocates point out ecological benefits

IN MONTANA, BEARS AND WOLVES BECOME PART OF THE CULTURE WARS

March 28th, Montana: The politics of predators seem poised to enter a new chapter in the state, which now seems intent on reviving some of the practices of a century ago that virtually exterminated wolves from Montana.

LOCAL WOLF PACK WIPED OUT BY HUNTER

March 27th: Many in the Sooke area are heartbroken that a wolf pack that no one was complaining about was wiped out.

LEGACY OF FAMOUS B.C. WOLF KILLED BY HUNTER LIVES ON 1 YEAR LATER AS A CONSERVATION PROJECT

March 27th: Takaya was shot on Vancouver Island after being featured in a documentary film

SOCIAL LIVES OF WOLVES AFFECT SPREAD OF PATHOGENS

March 25th: The way a population is organized into social groups affects the spread of infectious diseases within it, modeling of wolves in Yellowstone National Park shows.

WOLF-HYBRID CAPTURED AFTER RUNNING LOOSE IN WEST KNOXVILLE

March 25th: Did you see a wolf-hybrid running loose in your neighborhood this week? Officials say that animal has now been captured.

CPW COMMISSION REVIEWS WOLF REINTRODUCTION PLANNING EFFORTS

March 24th: As part of its virtual meeting last week, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission heard updates from staff on multiple topics related to wolf reintroduction planning efforts.

A NEW PAIR OF WOLVES COULD PRODUCE PUPS IN THE NEXT MONTH IN SISKIYOU COUNTY

March 23rd: The two wolves are believed to be male and female. They have been tracked near Whaleback Mountain near Mt. Shasta and are called the Whaleback Pair

GRAY WOLF KILL CONFIRMED IN NEBRASKA SANDHILLS AS ANIMALS EXPAND RANGE

March 23rd: Federal officials have confirmed that a gray wolf was shot and killed in the Sandhills south of Bassett in November.

GIANFORTE ISSUED WARNING FOR WOLF-TRAPPING VIOLATION

March 23rd : FWP says the governor failed to complete required wolf-trapping course prior to trapping and killing a wolf north of Yellowstone.

TRIBAL OFFICIALS HOPEFUL NEW SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR DEB HAALAND CAN END WOLF HUNTING IN WISCONSIN

March 22nd: Tribal officials, especially those from Ojibwe nations in northern Wisconsin, are hopeful new U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland can help restore protections for gray wolves and stop another hunting season this fall.

CHIPPEWA TRIBES BLAST WOLF HUNT, SAY IT WAS ABOUT KILLING

March 22nd: Chippewa tribal officials in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan have blasted the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for putting on what they say was a poorly planned wolf season during which state-licensed hunters blew past their quota in a matter of days.

GRAY WOLF IN FRESNO COUNTY

March 22nd: The GPS-collared gray wolf known as OR-93 continues to travel farther south in California than the collared wolves that have preceded him.

AMID HUNTING EXPANSION, BAN ON WOLF TRAPPING UPHELD IN BLAINE

March 21st: Wolf Project gears up for 14th season

AFTER LEAVING ISLE ROYALE ON AN ICE BRIDGE, WOLF MADE EPIC JOURNEY

March 20th: In late January 2019, during a bitterly cold winter spell, scientists flew to Isle Royale in Lake Superior to try to locate three wolves that had recently been relocated to the island, the first part of a landmark effort to restore the delicate balance between wolves and moose — their chief prey — in the remote national park.

CRITICS SAY WISCONSIN WINTER WOLF HUNT WAS TOO MUCH, TOO SOON

March 19th: Groups want the state to pause as the DNR plans another wolf hunt for November.

5 WOLVES FOUND DEAD IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON

March 19th: On Feb. 9, a collar on a wolf indicated a mortality signal in the Mt. Harris area in Union County, Oregon State Police Capt. Timothy R. Fox said in an email on Friday afternoon when asked about it by The Associated Press.

MEXICAN GRAY WOLF NUMBERS CONTINUE TO CLIMB

March 19th: The number of reintroduced Mexican gray wolves rose by 14% in 2020, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

BILLS TO INCENTIVIZE WOLF HUNTING AND TRAPPING, REMOVE HARVEST LIMITS NEAR GOVERNOR’S DESK

March 18th: Bills that would allow private groups to reimburse hunters and trappers for killing wolves and authorize an unlimited number of wolf kills per license holder are inching closer to the governor’s desk.

EXTREME DISAPPOINTMENT': OJIBWE TREATY RIGHTS GROUP DECRIES WOLF HUNT PROCESS

March 18th: Planning for the February 2021 wolf hunt was rushed following a court order, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission charges the Wisconsin DNR with neglecting tribal obligations.

WISCONSIN’S 2020 WOLF HUNT: WHAT WENT WRONG?

March 18th: The proposed late winter hunt had taken place despite an outdated state wolf management plan and inadequate regulation of the harvest.

ENDANGERED MEXICAN GRAY WOLF FOUND DEAD IN ARIZONA

March 17, 2021: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and its partners are offering a reward of up to $37,000 for information regarding the suspicious death of an endangered Mexican gray wolf near Eagar, Arizona.

ENDANGERED RED WOLF FROM WASH. ZOO GETS NOVEL OPERATION AT OSU

March 17th: Specialists at Oregon State University’s veterinary hospital operated Tuesday on a rare red wolf from the breeding program at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Washington.

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE REINTRODUCTION OF WOLVES ADVISORY GROUP APPLICATION DEADLINE SET FOR MARCH 31

March 17th: Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reminding everyone of an application deadline involving discussions about the reintroduction of grey wolves.

WOLF-KILLING BILLS DRAW EXPERT OPPOSITION

March 16th: A hearing on two controversial wolf-killing bills pitted those who believe state wildlife managers aren’t listening to hunters against those who believe legislators aren’t listening to science.

SECOND-GRADERS TAKE ON COLORADO’S WOLF REINTRODUCTION

March 16th: ‘Wolves are AMAAAAZING! Because they help the ecosystem and are amazing.’

WASHINGTON POST, OPINION: WISCONSIN'S BRUTAL WOLF HUNT SHOWS HUNTERS HAVE TOO MUCH SWAY OVER CONSERVATION POLICY

March 15th: Wisconsin’s brutal wolf hunt in late February generated outrage — and for good reason. In less than three days, hunters and trappers killed 216 wolves, 20 percent of the state’s population and far above their state-imposed quota of 119.

OTHER STATES SEEK TO EMULATE WISCONSIN'S WOLF MASSACRE

March 15th: In the states where wolves are not protected, they are now being aggressively persecuted.

HELENA, MONT. - WOLF BOUNTY GROUP PAYS ITS OWN DIRECTORS, FAMILY - ENDANGERED SPECIES COALITION

March 12th: “It’s ethically questionable for a nonprofit organization to be paying out its primary program funds to its own staff and board,” said Derek Goldman, Northern Rockies Field Representative for the Endangered Species Coalition—an opponent of SB 267.

BILL PROPOSES ENSHRINING HUNTING, FISHING AND TRAPPING IN MONTANA CONSTITUTION

March 12th: Montana voters could be asked to enshrine in the state constitution hunting, fishing and trapping as the traditional and preferred methods of fish and wildlife management under a bill brought by a Thompson Falls lawmaker.

GOVERNMENT OFFERS PLAN TO RELEASE MORE ENDANGERED RED WOLVES

March 11th: Government wildlife officials released two more critically endangered red wolves into the wild in North Carolina and could place several more captive-bred wolves into the habitat this year, according to a new plan submitted to a federal judge.

WEAKENED PROTECTIONS LED TO MORE DISAPPEARANCES OF ENDANGERED MEXICAN WOLVES

March 11th: Mexican wolves in the American Southwest disappeared more quickly during periods of relaxed legal protections, almost certainly succumbing to poaching, according to new research published Wednesday.

WOLF COLLARED IN BANFF KILLED IN U.S. AFTER SUDDEN 500-KILOMETRE MIGRATION TO MONTANA

March 11th: A lone male wolf from Banff's Bow Valley pack journeyed nearly 500 kilometres from Alberta to Montana in just five days, before being legally killed in northwestern Montana on Monday.

VULNERABLE RED WOLVES ARE BATTLING HIGH MORTALITY, COYOTE INBREEDING, BUT AGENCIES ARE TRYING TO REPOPULATE THE OBX

March 10th: Only one red wolf female experienced at having pups remains in the wild — and she’s been canoodling with a coyote.

MICHIGAN SENATE URGES NEW WOLF HUNT FOR 2021

March 10th: The Michigan Senate on Tuesday adopted resolutions urging the state to authorize wolf hunting and trapping this year.

WI GROUPS URGE DNR TO RETHINK FUTURE WOLF HUNTS

March 10th: On the heels of Wisconsin's first wolf hunt in several years, groups are calling for a lot more planning in future seasons, after hunters killed far more wolves than the state had intended.

A WOLF HUNT A REASON TO RESTORE PROTECTIVE STATUS

March 9th: Under an unusual state law, Wisconsin was required to allow a wolf hunting season once the animal was taken off the protected list.

KTSM GOES WILD: LEARNING ABOUT THE NEW MEXICAN WOLVES AT THE EL PASO ZOO

March 9th: Some of the newest members of the El Paso Zoo are five Mexican Wolves. They came just in time to celebrate Lobo Week at the end of the month.

MONTANA CONSIDERING SERIES OF NEW BILLS TO EXPAND TRAPPING AND KILLING OF WOLVES AND BEARS — AND ACTIVISTS SAY IT'S "AN OUTRIGHT WAR AGAINST WILDLIFE"

March 9th: Gray wolves were removed from the endangered species list less than four months ago. But now, activists say their populations, as well as other endangered wildlife in Montana, may be at risk as the state considers a series of legislative bills that set out to expand trapping and hunting regulations.

WOLVES WILL BE WOLVES, SO MANAGE THE HUMANS

March 8th: Wolves are apex predators who depend on public lands’ habitat. It’s the ranchers who need to change their management to reflect responsible stewardship of wildlife habitat on public lands grazing allotments, and it’s the Forest Service who needs to ensure that this occurs.

A SINGLE CAVE IN GERMANY IS ONE POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF EARLY WOLF DOMESTICATION

March 8th: A cluster of ancient canine fossils from a single cave in southwestern Germany has shown astounding genetic diversity, encompassing nearly the entire breadth of dog domestication: from wild wolf to modern hound.

WISCONSIN WOLF HUNT OVERSHOOTS QUOTA, WORRYING CONSERVATIONISTS

March 7th: The trophy hunt killings were condemned by animal advocates, who want grey wolves designated as an endangered species.

AS COLORADO MOVES TO REINTRODUCE WOLVES, SOME STATES LOOK TO STEP UP WOLF KILLS

March 7th: Republican lawmakers and conservative hunting groups propose tactics shunned by many wildlife managers

COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE TO LAUNCH GRAY WOLF REINTRODUCTION ENEWSLETTER

March 6th: Looking to reach as many residents as possible, Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans on rolling out a new gray wolf reintroduction eNewsletter in the coming months in hopes of keeping people up-to-date and included in the reintroduction process.

WISCONSIN’S WOLF HUNT WAS A SLAUGHTER. HERE’S HOW TO MAKE IT LESS UNFAIR

March 4th: Wisconsin’s Act 169 should be repealed. Dogs, traps, snares and snowmobiles should not be allowed.

WDFW: CHECK-IN WITH GOVERNOR BEFORE KILLING WOLVES JUST COURTESY

March 3rd: Fish and Wildlife’s decision-making process culminates in seeking the governor’s approval, according to wildlife sheriff’s deputy Jeff Flood, who works closely with the department and ranchers in Ferry and Stevens counties, monitoring wolves and investigating depredations.

GOVERNMENT OFFERS PLAN TO RELEASE MORE ENDANGERED RED WOLVES

March 2nd: Government wildlife officials say they have released two more critically endangered red wolves into the wild in North Carolina

FOR FIRST TIME IN OVER 100 YEARS, A WOLF IS SEEN NEAR YOSEMITE

March 2nd: A young male wolf has been tracked to Mono County, east of Yosemite National Park, the furthest south a wolf has been spotted in the state "in modern times," the Center for Biological Diversity said.

MONTANA SENATE PASSES WOLF BILLS

March 1st: Montana Senate Republicans approved two bills Monday aimed at increasing the hunting and trapping of wolves.

STATE COMMISSION PLANNING WOLF REINTRODUCTION PUTTING STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK AHEAD OF SPEED

March 1st: The commission tasked by voters to develop a plan to reintroduce gray wolves in Colorado by the end of 2023 reportedly will take its time to gather feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders.

OWNER DUMPED WOLFDOG AT KILL SHELTER WHEN HE GOT TOO MUCH TO HANDLE, LUCKILY THIS SANCTUARY SAVED HIM

March 1st: This sad story is about a wolfdog, named Yuki, that got dumped by its owner because it grew too big to handle.