FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 8, 2016
Contacts:
Melanie Gade: mgade@defenders.org; 202-772-0288
Suzanne Stone: sstone@defenders.org; 208-861-4655
Officials persist in killing wolves in Idaho’s Clearwater National Forest
WASHINGTON – Defenders is demanding an immediate and indefinite stop to Wildlife Services’ killing of wolves and other top predators in national forests in Idaho to inflate game populations.
In response to confirmation that Idaho officials are working with Wildlife Services on an aerial gunning operation to kill wolves in the Clearwater National Forest, Defenders is submitting a petition to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Secretary Vilsack. Defenders is requesting Vilsack issue a Secretarial Order prohibiting Wildlife Services from controlling native predators to increase game populations and demanding that the Forest Service, responsible for safeguarding America’s national forests, exercise its jurisdiction to prevent wolf killing.
Suzanne Stone, Defenders of Wildlife Northwest Representative, issued the following statement:
“Killing wolves in the Lolo District of the Clearwater National Forest is a decision based almost entirely on Idaho’s extreme anti-wolf politics and not sound science. Aerial gunning of wolves is an expensive waste of precious taxpayer dollars.
“Killing wolves isn’t going to bring back the elk, and it doesn’t address the real issues causing the decline. Scientists point to a significant change in habitat conditions in the Clearwater National Forest – due to invasive species and fire suppression -- causing elk populations to drop naturally. Killing wolves is simply a scapegoat for these much bigger issues.”
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For over 75 years, Defenders of Wildlife has remained dedicated to protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.1 million members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on X @Defenders.
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