Wolves in the Northern Rockies are Being Slaughtered Despite Endangered Status
Wolves are being massacred in the Northern Rocky Mountains, and the US is doing nothing to protect these vulnerable - and environmentally crucial - animals. Gray wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 48 states and Mexico, but in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, over 1,700 wolves remain unprotected. This geographic lapse in protection must be remedied to save wolf populations.
The Legal Gist
In 2020, the Trump administration delisted all gray wolves from the ESA despite the fact that wolves were just gaining a foothold in their populations. Kristen Boyles, an Earthjustice attorney, stated that “wolves need federal protection to explore habitat in the Southern Rockies and the Northeast. This delisting decision is what happens when bad science drives bad policy — and it’s illegal, so we will see them in court.” The decision did go to court, and in 2022 a judge overturned the decision, reinstating wolves on the Endangered Species List (ESL).
The reason that wolves in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana were left off the list even after this court decision, was because they were delisted long before the 2020, from a 2011 Congressional rider to a budgetary measure. It was the first time Congress had direct impact over the ESL, and it left decisions regarding these wolves up to the states where they reside.
Wolves as Keystone Species
Wolves are a keystone species, meaning they play a disproportionately large role in the well-being and survival of the ecosystem. They regulate prey populations such as elk, deer, or bison, which in turn ensures that the habitat is not overgrazed and eventually destroyed. When wolves are not present, the negative impact trickles down to the smallest of organisms, a phenomenon called “trophic cascade.”
Without wolves, there is no secondary predator to take its place in the food chain, which is why the loss of them is so dramatic to the ecosystem. When Yellowstone declared their wolf population extinct, from 1926-1995, the bears and coyotes were not able to prey on elk to the extent of the wolves, which led to overgrazing of aspen trees. Beavers, birds, and fish all depend upon aspen trees for different reasons, so they also began to leave the area. Dams broke and water flowed too fast, turning grasslands into dry shrublands.
Despite the harm of the trophic cascades that occur without wolves, hunters continue to advocate for limiting or decimating wolf populations due to the fallacy of livestock deaths. It is a complete myth that wolves cause significant damage to livestock or even humans. Disease, severe weather, and other predators (such as coyotes and bears), are the cause of 23-36 times more livestock deaths than wolves.
Wolves are responsible for less than one percent of all livestock deaths, hardly justifying a slaughter to the degree that is occurring.
“ It is a complete myth that wolves cause significant damage to livestock or even humans.”
The Slaughter of Gray Wolves
Hunters in Idaho can shoot or trap an unlimited number of wolves year-round on private land, which could decimate 90 percent of the state population. In Montana, hunters can kill up to 20 wolves a year, and in Wyoming, hunters can kill as many wolves as they like in 85 percent of the state. These allowances even extend to wolf pups, which can be detrimental to pack dynamics. Studies in Yellowstone show that a pack is 27 percent less likely to survive if any member dies of human causes, and 73 percent less likely to survive if a pack leader is killed.
Not only can wolves be hunted in these states, but the tactics used to do so are often inhumane and purely for sport. Hunters in Idaho and Montana can lure wolves into gun range with bait, or chase them down with A.T.V.s, snowmobiles, and dogs until they are worn out. The Foundation for Wildlife Management also uses state funds to support bounties of up to $2,000 per wolf killed. Humans are unequivocally the biggest threat to gray wolves.
History is repeating itself despite knowing the consequences of wolf extinction. Wolves were systematically exterminated throughout the 20th century before they were placed on the ESL. Despite the knowledge of ecosystems and the importance of wolves within them, these animals are yet again being erroneously hunted for sport, the damage of which could be irrevocable.
Future Thinking
Wolves are in a critically dangerous position, but there is immediate action that could save them from further slaughter. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, has the power to immediately put gray wolves back on the ESL in the Northern Rockies using her emergency authority. And yet, wolves in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming remain in peril.
In a public op-ed, Secretary Haaland affirmed her commitment to protecting gray wolves, stating “the clock is ticking. We must find solutions that allow wolves to flourish, even while we balance the needs of hunters and ranchers and others who live and work along with wolves on the landscape.”
Oregon’s then representative Peter DeFazio pointedly criticized Secretary Haaland, asserting that “Secretary Haaland has the power to immediately relist the gray wolf using emergency authority, and I strongly urged her to take this action. I am disappointed she has chosen to delay this vital action to stop the slaughter.” DeFazio also affirmed that the survival of the gray wolf is dependent on immediate action, and that the failure to act now is a grave mistake.
Over a year after this statement, gray wolves in the Northern Rockies remain without the protections of the ESA. But people have not stopped fighting. Groups such as the Endangered Species Coalition, Relist Wolves, and Species Unite work to educate on the importance of wolf conservation, and the urgency behind advocating for immediate protections.
Wolves are a keystone species that ecosystems critically rely on, but they are also intelligent and empathetic animals that are being disgracefully slaughtered. The ESA is in place exactly to prevent situations such as these from occurring, to protect animals, entire ecosystems, and biodiversity. We owe it to wolves and to our planet’s well being to take action now.
Take Action
Writing letters is a powerful way to advocate for wolves and to get your voice heard. Join the campaign to write a letter to Secretary Haaland and President Biden to put wolves back on the Endangered Species List.
Prefer handwritten letters? Mail your message to the address below. You can use the following template or write your own letter. The more original the letter the better!
The Honorable Deb Halaand
Secretary
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240
Dear Secretary Halaand,
I'm writing to ask you to save our wolves. Please put ALL wolves back on the Endangered Species List, including the gray wolves in the Northern Rockies. Gray wolves are a keystone species that maintain and restore ecological integrity. They are being slaughtered in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming and without federal protections, the wolves that live in the Northern Rockies will lose decades of progress toward recovery.
Please act to restore Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and help save this nationally beloved species.
Sincerely,
Written by Olivia Deming
Olivia is currently studying Political Science and Anthropology at Columbia University. She writes and edits for the Columbia Political Review, and is the President of the Women's Wrestling Club.
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