Dear Friend of Wildlife,
Ongoing, rampant persecution and killing of wolves persists despite the February 10, 2022 federal court decision to restore Endangered Species Act protections for wolves across the U.S. That decision excludes wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains (NRM) due to previous congressional action that removed federal protections for that region alone. As a result, wolves in the NRM continue to be exposed to the same cruel, indiscriminate and widespread state-sponsored killing that led to their extermination from the region at the beginning of last century. In the past year, states like Idaho, Montana and Wisconsin approved policies that exhibit no care or moral consideration for the lives and wellbeing of wolves: wolves and their families can be tormented and killed using a variety of techniques, such as snaring, shooting from helicopters and all-terrain vehicles, and hounds, with explicit goals to decimate their populations by as much as 90%.
At the other end of the Rockies, the Mexican gray wolf subspecies in the Southwest is also in dire straits, as detailed in our recent action alert. All these policies have one thing in common: they are promoted and established by vocal contingents of ranchers, predator hunters and others who refuse to acknowledge wolves as living beings deserving of care and respect. Read more about this issue on our Protect America’s Wolves webpage.
I’m proud to share this piece written by my father Dr. Michael W. Fox who has dedicated his life to making this a better world for wolves and all animals.
Camilla H. Fox (pictured with Dr. Michael W. Fox)
Founder & Executive Director
Caring for Wolves, Icons of the Spirit of the Wild
By Dr. Michael W. Fox*
DEAR READERS: More than 500 wolves have been killed recently in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, jeopardizing a long-term ecosystem research project in Yellowstone National Park. The project was “one of the best models for understanding the behaviors and dynamics of a wolf population unexploited by human,” said National Park Service wildlife biologist Doug Smith, who added that researchers are trying to salvage “what we have left of it.” (Full story: Science, Jan. 31)
This is, unfortunately, not the only distressing news item about wolves of late. Back in February, a federal judge in California ordered the gray wolf back under the safeguards of the Endangered Species Act. Now, the U.S. Department of Justice is appealing this federal court ruling. The Biden administration’s commitment to addressing biodiversity and conservation is clearly now in question.
Wolves are more than just another endangered species. They are sentient beings, like us, with families, social bonds, emotional intelligence and instinctual and learned survival skills. Having raised their cubs during my research into canid behavior, I have come to know and respect them, and I enjoy their trust and affection. But wolves do not make appropriate pets, nor do most wolf-dog hybrids, the breeding of which I advise against.
Those who do not see wolves as sacred, or at least as kindred spirits in many ways, must step out of the confines of anthropocentrism. Then we may save the wolves from extinction, along with our own humanity. Where there is collective existential ignorance, nature becomes our nemesis. Where there is respect for all life, nature becomes our apotheosis.
Until ranchers, hunters and others stop justifying their persecution of and endless war against wolves, perhaps we will always be at war with each other.
The end of objectifying and exploiting others, human or nonhuman, comes with the cultivation of empathy and compassion. These are the hallmarks of a civilized society and of a more evolved human species. Those who love to be in nature but also love to kill for sport pervert and demean the beauty and power of the natural world – a world in which they could, if they chose, find infinitely greater satisfaction and fulfillment. A camera is a good substitute for hunting gear.
In protecting wolves and conserving their habitats, we rise to the challenge of responsible planetary stewardship. Where there is no sense of kinship with other beings, we can kill with equanimity. Encouraging a sense of kinship with all life should be an essential part of every child’s education.
“Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness” is the fitting inscription on the Christopher Award I was given for my children’s book “The Wolf.” I pray that the spirit of the wolves and the wild will light everyone’s candle and illuminate our passion to protect, conserve and love without limits.
Reprinted by permission from Andrews McMeel Universal newspaper syndicate.
In response to the recent delisting of gray wolves across their range and the renewed war on wolves by states, Project Coyote launched the Protect America’s Wolves (PAW) campaign in 2021 to raise awareness about the plight of wolves. As part of our campaign, we have deployed two billboards along major highway corridors in Montana and Idaho featuring a call-to-action to #RelistWolves under the ESA. Additionally, more than 11,000 people have signed on to Project Coyote’s petition calling on Secretary Deb Haaland to relist wolves and establish a national wolf recovery plan.
*Michael W. Fox is a world-renowned author, veterinarian, animal behaviorist and animal advocate. He holds advanced degrees in ethology and medicine, and has authored over 40 books, including “The Soul of the Wolf,” “Behavior of Wolves, Dogs and Related Canids” and the Christopher Award-winning children’s book, “The Wolf.” He has also written countless academic and popular articles for adults and children. His writing and work primarily focuses on the promotion of intersections between bioethics, animals and environmental protection. He is a tireless advocate for equal consideration and moral standing for nonhuman animals. Visit his website to learn more and to view his “Animal Doctor” syndicated column.