Protect Arizona’s Imperiled Mexican Gray Wolves!

Speak up by March 16 to oppose HB 2181

The Arizona Legislature is considering House Bill 2181, which would strip state wildlife officials of their authority to stop the killing of Mexican gray wolves in certain circumstances. The bill is now before the Senate Natural Resources Energy and Water Committee. 

HB 2181 bars the Arizona Game and Fish Commission from prohibiting a person from killing a wolf if they feel threatened or if their livestock or pets are threatened. Wolves rarely attack humans and people already have the ability to protect themselves, their livestock and property, making this bill completely unnecessary. Furthermore, studies demonstrate that such liberalized killing only encourages poaching.

Please act TODAY in opposition to House Bill 2181!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Submit written comments by emailing the members of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Water. 
   • Copy and paste these email addresses into a new email: dgowan@azleg.gov, skerr@azleg.gov, tshope@azleg.gov, lotondo@azleg.gov, rgray@azleg.gov, cmarsh@azleg.gov, wrogers@azleg.gov, sstahlhamilton@azleg.gov, vsteele@azleg.gov.
   • Craft your comments in your own words using the Talking Points below.
   • Please be sure to submit your written comments by the Committee’s deadline of 9 a.m. MST March 16.
2. Follow the bill’s progress, and oppose it in subsequent votes.
   • Learn more about how a bill becomes law in the AZ Legislature. 
3. Write a Letter to the Editor (LTE) and submit it to your local newspaper. 
   • ​​​​​​​Encourage fellow Arizona residents to oppose House Bill 2181.
   • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Use the talking points below, and read our tips on how to write LTEs.
4. Spread the word by sharing this alert with other Arizona residents and encourage them to take action.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Talking Points ~ Please personalize!

• The state does not have the authority to enforce this bill. Mexican gray wolves are federally listed as a protected species, therefore management authority lies with federal officials. 
  • Setting provisions for the killing of an endangered species is outside of the state agency’s purview and a dangerous precedent to set.
• Wolves rarely attack humans, and in the rare instances of a wolf attack, Arizonans already have the right to kill a wolf or any other animal attacking them or threatening their life. Therefore, this bill is entirely unnecessary. 
• The provisions in this bill on threatening or attacking livestock or other domestic animals can provide an invitation to kill wolves unnecessarily. 
  • Not providing clear guidance against killing wolves may invite “baiting” of wolves with livestock or other animals or other illegal behavior by those who view wolves as animals to be exterminated.
• Lawmakers should be promoting coexistence with wolves and abandon anything that condones, encourages, or blurs the lines when it comes to killing wolves.
  • Lawmakers and state wildlife officials should support proactive, non-lethal deterrence across Mexican gray wolf range to successfully facilitate population recovery and persistence.
• Ranchers already have a multitude of tools to promote coexistence and are paid by the state and conservation groups for losses due to wolf predation. 
  • The state of Arizona Livestock Loss Board administers the Livestock Compensation Fund which pays lessees or livestock operators for wolf depredation on livestock.  
• Instead of fixating on unnecessary bills outside of their authority, Arizona Legislators should instead be focusing on serious issues like the poaching of federally protected endangered species which poses an ongoing problem.

Thank you for advocating for Mexican Gray Wolves in Arizona!

Michelle Lute, PhD
National Carnivore Conservation Manager