Wolves in Wyoming are feeling the heat of the summer in a painful way. During the first two weeks of July 2004, US Fish and Wildlife and Wildlife Services have killed 6 wolves directly south and east of the invisible boundary of Yellowstone National Park. Wolves are being gunned down in alarming numbers for depredations on livestock that are have been released onto forest service allotments and private land for summer grazing. Livestock operations are intruding on den sites, ruining pup rendezvous areas and are taking over the native habitats of wolves and other wildlife by forcing side by side existence with cattle, an enemy that has proven to be deadly.

July began with the death of an Owl Creek Threesome male just south of Meeteetse, WY for depredations on a calf on private land. Wildlife Services spared the alpha male because he is radio-collared and can lead them back to the group if so desired.

The alpha male of the Carter Mountain pack (west of Meeteetse) wasn't so lucky. On July 7th, he was chased down by a helicopter and shot from the air, leaving only the alpha female to care for their four young pups. USFWS has promised to end their lives too if depredations continue. The alpha female now faces hunting on her own to support her four young in an area where livestock is abundant and native prey is not. She is under the watchful eye of the USFWS who promises to authorize the removal of the remainder of the pack if they are suspected of any more run-ins with area livestock.

The tragedy of the Green River pack is being repeated again this summer. All within a few months of last summer, agents systematically killed all three mates that female wolf, 237F paired with. In the last lethal action Wildlife Services went a step further to seal her demise by not only killing her mate, but also killing all four pups that she had struggled to support by herself. In an area infested with cattle, she was forced to compete with the area's thick grizzly population for native prey. She managed to survive the winter and once again found a mate in a dispersing Teton Pack male. However, on July 8th Wildlife Services put an end to this union. They shot and killed the male for depredations on a calf and have once again left the female alone and struggling. If depredations continue, USFWS has promised to authorize her death as well.

The Washakie pack is, once again, in the bulls eye of a rifle toting fixed wing aircraft. Wildlife Services killed two pack members at the beginning of the summer and continued their killing spree with a yearling being gunned down on July 9th and the promise of taking the entire pack with any additional depredations.

Please let USFWS know how you feel about this continued assault on Wyoming's wolf packs. Wolves are fighting for their lives to survive in their native lands, which have become riddled with livestock operations stuffed in every corner of wilderness. These areas are thick with grizzly bears competing for the native prey that is being pushed out of the valleys by sprawling ranches and development. Wyoming's wolves are facing an onslaught of deadly forces with Temik poison lacing the woods, the promise of last year's illegal shootings to continue and the planned lawsuit pushing for their status as predators to be shot on sight within state boundaries.

Remind USFWS of the following:

1. This area is a wolf sink, similar to the Madison Valley in Montana where 11 wolves (2 entire packs) were killed earlier this year, Avon, Montana where 10 wolves (2 packs) were gunned down during the spring, and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho where three packs have been killed in the past. All of these areas are now home to more wolves, facing the same ill fate. Repeated killing of wolves in this area will not solve the problem of livestock depredations. The livestock must either be controlled and protected or moved from this area.
2. Cattle are not a recovering endangered species. Last year USFWS killed 59 wolves in the Northern Rockies for livestock depredations, this year that number is already approaching 40 wolves killed. 5% of the Northern Rockies wolf population has been destroyed this year alone. Last year there were 5,750,000 cattle surviving in the Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, out of 64 that were taken by wolves. Wolves killed one out of every 90,000 cattle, however for every 12 wolves surviving in the region, one is control killed. Cattle are not, and have not ever been, on the Endangered Species list.
3. Wolves are only surviving in less than 5% of their native territory in the lower 48 states. Cattle survive in nearly every state in the country and public land ranchers west of the Mississippi produce only 3% of America's beef. There are vast areas where wolves do not exist and never will exist that are much more suited for cattle production.

Who to contact:

Ed Bangs U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 100 North Park Avenue, Ste 320 Helena, MT 59601 406-449-5225 extension 204 Ed_Bangs@fws.gov

Mike Jimenez Wyoming Wolf Project Leader US Fish & Wildlife Service 190 N. 1st Street Lander, WY 82520 307 332-2159 Mike_Jimenez@fws.gov

Ralph Morgenweck Reg. Director USFWS Mountain Prairie Region (MT, WY, UT, CO, ND, SD, NE, KS) PO Box 25486 Denver, Co 80225 303-236-7920