In
a huge victory for gray
wolves, a California court just struck down the awful
2020 decision to remove their endangered species
protection status at the federal level. This is an
amazing step forward, but unfortunately,
the areas where wolves are most under attack -- Wyoming,
Montana, and Idaho -- are not included in this court
decision. Heartbreakingly and
ironically, these states are also where the bulk of U.S.
wolves reside, and kill quotas can be as high
as 90% of the already vulnerable
population.
Wolves in these states were
actually officially delisted in 2009, and it was left up
to decision-makers at the state level to manage and
protect them. This has been devastating, resulting
in overhunting, breaches of
Tribal nations' rights, and insidious loopholes that
allow the killing of wolves that cross state
lines. On top of that, we know
that the Montana governor himself sidestepped the law
for a chance to murder a wolf in 2021. So how can we
expect state legislatures to properly manage wildlife
populations when their leaders are so committed to
illegally killing innocent animals?
The recent
California ruling was a crucial step in the right
direction, and still helps gray wolf populations
overall. But we must protect these innocent animals
where they need it the most desperately, and the best
way to do that is by fully relisting them in every state
under the Endangered Species Act. Sign the petition now
to put pressure on the Department of the Interior to
protect ALL gray
wolves!
