wolf, protect wildlife
It is troublemakers like Milo Johnson in Redding California that seem to need to learn the truth about wolves, They need to be able to look at factual numbers and Realize that Wolves are their smallest Problem!
Pamela Flick of Defenders of Wildlife painted a rosy picture of Northern California inviting wolves to peacefully coexist with our game animals, livestock, pets and children.
She states that the problem of livestock predation can be adequately addressed by using “range riders” and specialized fencing. She makes no mention of the cost for these measures. By her thinking, having a few police cruisers and some special fencing should solve the problems of theft, burglary and assault in our society. Range riders are effective if they are allowed to shoot any wolf on sight. Wolves are smart and will then learn to avoid humans and their domestic animals near occupied areas. Otherwise, the range riders’ only value is in documenting wolf kills after the fact.
Ms. Flick proudly points out the Wood River Wolf Project in central Idaho where she claims the wolves successfully coexist with sheep grazing on public lands with “minimal livestock losses,” whatever that means. She fails to mention Idaho’s Lolo elk zone where the large wolf population has decimated the resident elk herd from 16,000 animals a few years ago to fewer than 1,000 elk today. This month Idaho Fish and Game, with assistance from USDA Wildlife Services, using a helicopter, killed 20 wolves in an effort to provide some help in restoring the Lolo herd. They felt this was necessary because hunters have only taken 20 wolves this winter, well below the biologist’s target of wolf removal necessary for the survival of the elk herd. Another expensive proposition; using taxpayer money for helicopters to control the wolf population. And it shows that even allowing wolf hunting for lengthy seasons is unable to control the wolf population because of the rough and remote terrain, and the wariness of the wolves. These wolf-control measures have been necessary for the past five years, so this expensive helicopter project is now an annual event. I hope California can come up with a better plan.
We can learn from the experience of other states regarding the issue of wolves. Many problems and much expense can be avoided if we do not encourage the wolves to repopulate in Northern California.
Milo Johnson lives in Redding