BREAKING – Now, after their clandestine aerial slaughter of 20 wolves in the Lolo/ Clearwater wilderness and surrounding areas, Idaho Fish and Game is trying to justify their actions. In today’s press release, they cited the ‘need’ to intervene in declining elk populations. To serve the needs of hunters. The massacre had been ‘kept under wraps’ intentionally, by the admission of Todd Grimm of Wildlife Services, the federal agency brought in to assist IFG after ‘regulated harvest’ by hunters and trappers proved ‘insufficient to meet management goals’. They tried to carry out the entire operation in secret because they were well aware of massive public opposition to such contentious lethal control methods. But conservation groups found out and blew the lid off their deceit. Unfortunately, for the wolves, it was too late.
“To date, hunters and trappers have taken 20 wolves in the Lolo zone during the 2015-2016 season. The trapping season ends March 31 and the hunting season ends June 30,” the press release states, bringing the total slaughter to 40 wolves so far. This begs the question, if 40 wolves (most in family groups, meaning that dependent young back in den sites may have been left orphaned and unable to hunt on their own) have already been killed, and more will likely be taken by hunters and trappers before the season ends, just how many will ultimately be sacrificed to boost elk numbers? The very reason for the secrecy shines a spotlight on just how unpopular, arrogant and controversial these actions are. A majority of conservationists, scientists, environmental groups and wildlife lovers/wolf advocates oppose lethal control and aerial gunning.
There are numerous studies, such as this one cited in National Geographic in 2014 showing that killing predators (short of total extermination) actually does the reverse of what is desired: depredation actually increases with such culls. Lethal removal of predators becomes self-defeating. There are many reasons. One is that, without lethal intervention, wolves in stable packs actually improve habitat and biodiversity, which benefits more than just elk. More, wolves are extremely family-oriented, and with time, the pack elders – being the parents – teach their young how to best succeed, thereby keeping young wolves safe within the family structure and less likely to splinter into orphaned juvenile ‘gangs’ that struggle with poor hunting skills (a handicap which may also cause them to view domestic livestock as an easier option). Also, ecological system dynamics, when free of human interference, will reach a leveling off of both predators and prey, as prey populations also reach equilibrium with current habitat conditions. With fewer elk, in other words, the wolves are likely to turn to deer and other smaller, more common prey.
The other factor is compensatory breeding – meaning surviving wolves will cause the effort to backfire, producing larger litters to compensate for the sudden population decline. This isn’t just true of wolves, by the way. It seems this logic holds true with many species after periods of decline. Once a point of sustainable equilibrium is reached, populations of both predator and prey, working back and forth in a dynamic interchange, will settle into a sustainable density, cited in part by Tony Sinclair in his work on ecosystem regulation. Unless, of course, the wildcard human factor throws everything into disarray.
Another thing triggering outrage is the despicable and unjustifiable cruelty done to the wolves during aerial ‘culls’. For instance, many wolves may be shot from the air in these operations, but not all are killed, or killed quickly. Helicopters will chase wolves for miles and miles, causing panic, stress, injury and exhaustion. Many are grievously wounded and left to linger and die days later. Pack members are forced to watch their mates, parents, friends and offspring die. Families are torn apart, the social cohesion of wolf society devastated. Unsettling new evidence shows that wolves grieve loss of pack members and loved ones.
Is this what we want our taxpayer dollars used for? Wolves (for that matter, wildlife) are not widgets to be manipulated or subtracted as in some kind of board game – They are living, breathing, responsive and intelligent beings, with social networks and deep bonds. To fly in with helicopters and massacre wolves using a quota system of numbers makes it all the worse, because it makes no scientific or biological sense. Nor will it it fix the ‘problem’ of declining elk numbers. But it will certainly stress the entire ecosystem where it takes place, as, certainly not only wolves are impacted by the roar of aerial gunners flying overhead.
This kind of heavy-handed human meddling is anything but a fix for perceived low elk numbers. There are other, bigger factors behind the decline of elk that need to be acknowledged and either accepted or dealt with; degradation of, and changes to, the habitat itself. Why are we not hearing of efforts to address these?
In the end, no rationale for the clandestine aerial gunning of wolves by Wildlife Services or the state of Idaho can suffice. It’s an affront to the American people. The cull itself is unwarranted, the secrecy an outrage. Lawsuits from The Center for Biological Diversity and other environmental groups are in the works.
Source: Idaho Fish and Game tries to justify secret wolf slaughter after the fact | Examiner.com