when the government was being sued in court to stop the introduction of these Canadian wolves, it was none other than the National Audubon Society, Predator Project, Sinapu, and Gray Wolf Committee that joined the anti wolf farmers and hunters in litigation to stop the program from ever being started. I am talking about animal rights organizations who were primarily concerned with protecting the endangered status of naturally occurring Rockey Mountain gray wolves or better known to them as the Canis Lupus Irremotus. They were concerned that naturally occurring wolves which wandered into the recovery areas would essentially lose their “endangered” designation and would mistakenly be treated as part of the experimental population, or that the larger Canadian wolves would decimate what was left of the endangered Rockey Mountain wolve. (Which Has Happened).
In the resulting joined lawsuit, the first allegation was that defendants introduction of “Canadian” gray wolves, which were neither threatened nor endangered, violated the requirements of ESA section 10 (j). They wanted to show that the fact that the wolves indigenous to the northern Rocky Mountain region (Canis Lupus Irremotus) and the Canadian wolves used for reintroduction (Canis Lupus Occidentalis) were two different subspecies of gray wolf. They also argued that because the two types of wolves were distinct subspecies, the Recovery Plan would have an adverse impact on the conservation of the irremotus subspecies because of possible interbreeding, thus the Canis Lupus Iiremotus would cease to exist.
Thanks to the introduction of the Canadian Grays, not only are we seeing the destruction and devastation ofg the elk populations around Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, we are also seeing the complete annihilation of the very animal they claimed they wanted to save, the Canis Lupus Iiremotusthe.
I live in Montana now and can only say that I am a wilderness and wildlife lover. I only ask that we take good care of our wildlife so we can kill them, eat them and wear them. I also love to view them in their habitat.
If people were taught that nature itself is so much harder and more destructive to these critters they would shut the heck up about what we harvest.
The islands in SE Alaska would suffer 70% winter kill of the blacktail deer due to starvation from deep wet snow.
All the while we had F&Game ticketing or fineing people who lived off this excellent meat because they took one over their limit. So many elderly natives were supplied their winter protein by a young relative. This while nature was killing 10’s of 1000’s and he could not take extra to supply those who could no longer provide for themselves.
F-ing politics.