Wyoming Fish and Game plans to collar more wolves

When we here of a “Judas wolf” it would imply that a wolf has betrayed one of their own. Nothing could be further from the truth! Several states have been capturing wolves for some time and putting radio collars on certain wolves that transmit a GPS signal to the government to notify his/her location. We have seen that the collars are often used to find the pack’s state agencies seek to cull. Some have labeled certain wolves as a “Judas wolf” since they are being used find his or her family/pack .  They may see them killed as they are gunned down by choppers. They are left crying out for their pack members with haunting and mournful howls, as they are sentient beings and mourn just as we do. The collard wolf continues to be tracked as they search for other wolves. Unaware of what could possibly happen next.

There is much more to this and it can be a very controversial issue. Tracking collars, particularly in the early years, proved invaluable to scientists studying to observe provided an otherwise impossible glimpse into the movements of animals that simply couldn’t be observed otherwise. Some collars have allowed the tracking of wolves across large expanses of wilderness, a feat not possible otherwise, given the elusiveness of wild wolves. Sometimes, these wanderings lead to incredible journeys, all chronicled by little blips on a map as we have seen before.

Another concern is that a collar broadcasting a signal can give hunters an advantage. In states like Idaho and Montana, sportsmen are provided with the general locations of known wolves to “assist” them finding their quarry. Idaho wants their wolves gone. Period. Any efforts to collar and track wolves in that state are a means to this end.

Wyoming is another state that wants wolves gone. Wolves were delisted there in March of last year and the state took over wolf management in April of 2017. Wyoming’s all-Republican Congressional delegation, Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and Rep. Liz Cheney, were among those working toward delisting the wolf by legislation and they applauded the appellate court’s decision.

We know what has happened to wolves in Wyoming since then.  They have a proven record of their hostile management policies and now that they are delisted Game and Fish is hoping to collar 20 to 25 more wolves this year; more than 50 wolves have already been collared.  Fish and Game says that monitoring the wolves provides better insight on how the population interacts in Wyoming. There is great cause for concern.

Wyoming has no business managing the public’s resources period. The way they manage our public resources, we will have virtually no wildlife left for our children, grandchildren or future generations to enjoy.  We have got to fight this! ~L.G

http://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/game-and-fish-collar-more-wolves-monitoring-purposes