Free Republic

Ranchers say their hands are tied as reintroduced wolves—listed as endangered—are feasting on cattle instead of hunting elk and deer.. Descendants of rewilded wolves are taking a heavy toll on cattle in Northern California and Oregon, killing calves and full-grown animals and putting stress on cow-calf operations and ranchers’ pocketbooks. Because wolves are listed as an endangered species under state and federal law, ranchers are hamstrung: They can’t shoot or harass these protected predators. The penalty for killing a wolf is steep; federal law carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, unless a rancher...

A series of devastating wolf attacks occurred over Memorial Day weekend at the Lost Marbles Ranch, Crystal River Ranch and McCabe Ranch, leaving two calves dead and others injured. A broad daylight attack at the Lost Marbles Ranch, carried out by three wolves from the notorious Copper Creek pack, took place in the heart of the calving grounds, a large meadow where ranchers actively monitor mothers and newborns during the critical calving season. The wolves separated a cow and a calf from the main herd, severely injuring the calf. While many in the public romanticize the idea of seeing a...

The fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 brought many changes, but one of the more unexpected was that it enabled the wolves of Eastern Europe to begin expanding their range west, where they had been practically unknown for more than a century. Few large mammals, people included, had been permitted to cross from East to West before the Berlin Wall came down. From the guard towers along the border, soldiers had shot bears for fun.Today there are more than 21,500 wolves on the continent, a species of least concern. Their revival, a beacon of hope in the biodiversity crisis,...

Wolves in California are costing ranchers millions of dollars far beyond just the price of cattle killed, .. A Wyoming rancher says the secondary costs of predation are well-known here. ... As California’s wolf population expands, the predators there are costing ranchers millions — not just in value of the cattle killed, but through collateral effects as well ... one wolf can cause $69,000 to $162,000 in “direct and indirect losses from lower pregnancy rates in cows and decreased weight gain in calves,” .. Those results should come as no surprise to Wyoming ranchers, Jim Magagna, executive vice president of...

Canadian wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park in 1995 and central Idaho in 1996 — but within a few years their territory and numbers had greatly expanded, along with their negative impact on livestock and elk herds.

The Lake County (Oregon) Board of Commissioners has declared a public safety and livestock emergency in the wake of livestock depredations by wolf OR158. It is, according to Commissioner Barry Shullanberger, one of the first times such a declaration has been made. According to the declaration, OR158 is responsible for five confirmed calf kills and three probable kills in Lake County in less than 10 days. Efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service to haze the wolf with a drone, which was ineffective. The declaration requests immediate assistance from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek for intervention...

[Catholic Caucus] Monsignor Strickland: Most Bishops Are Cowards, Liars or WolvesMonsignor Joseph Strickland, 66, the former Bishop of Tyler, Texas, launched a weekly video show on social media called "A Shepherd's Voice" on 13 January.In the first episode, he pronounces the truism that we have "a really bad situation" in the Church: "Some of the shepherds have shown themselves to be either incompetent or dishonest."Truth is being pushed aside and even "the Holy Father himself" is spreading the falsehood that all religions are ways to God.He recalls that "we [= the generation before Vatican II] have been brought up with...

German bishop says ‘we do not have to evangelize’ the world since people can be ‘happy’ without GodGerman Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck has said that “we do not have to evangelize the whole world” and that people are “happy and content” without God.In a sermon on the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, in the Essen Cathedral, Overbeck said that “we do not have to evangelize the whole world and win them over to a certain form of church life.”“God will find ways to lead those who cannot or do not want to believe in Him onto a good path,”...

[Catholic Caucus] ‘Stand Up Like Free Men’: The modern history of standing for CommunionThe posture of Catholics receiving Communion has been a subject of discussion in recent weeks, after Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago wrote a column last month asking that people “receive Holy Communion standing.”While kneeling is known to have been the universal Roman Catholic practice for many centuries, receiving the Eucharist while standing is currently the ‘normative’ or ‘default’ posture for the United States and in many other places around the world.Pre-conciliar trendsEven before the Second Vatican Council, there was advocacy in the Church among some liturgical theologians...

Gov. Jared Polis is facing backlash for comments he made during the winter conference of Colorado counties, when he blamed ranchers for the cost of the wolf reintroduction program this year. The topic of wolves at the Colorado Counties, Inc. conference arose in response to Polis' comments about an ever-tightening state budget. The association represents 63 of the state's 64 counties. State economists have estimated that the 2025-26 state budget will be short about $1 billion due to lowering inflation and the end of billions in one-time federal money tied to the pandemic. "I've tried to bite my tongue and...

Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee met with the Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday to discuss potential reductions of the state’s wolf program.. As Colorado looks for ways to cut nearly $1 billion from its budget, some legislators are pondering whether pausing wolf reintroduction efforts could save the state $2.1 million per year. It was one of many options the Joint Budget Committee weighed during a budget hearing with the state’s Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Funding for wolves After Colorado voters passed Proposition 114 in 2020 to reintroduce wolves in Colorado, the state’s wildlife agency has received...

Oh look, it’s the congressional Republicans ... Bison throws the young member of its herd to the wolves to escape. ... Utah voters. ... corrupt establishment vs. the populists. And the populists got rolled, HARD, yesterday. ... It takes just as much effort to trample your adversaries as to betray your friends. So a deliberate choice was made in both cases. ... You don’t have to be faster than the wolves…just faster than your “buddy!”

I have been reading the articles concerning Proposition 127 and how this undermines the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s ability to properly manage wildlife. I agree 100 percent. However, there is another insidious movement underway that will undermine both the CPW and hunting in a big way. The National Forest Service is quietly, but steadily closing off dispersed camping — camping in areas other than designated campgrounds. I experienced this in September on my muzzleloading deer/elk hunt in South Park. This will probably be the last tented hunting camp I will be able to do with my hunting partner. I am...

“Sheep without a shepherd”When we see the discussion groups and the democratic style (at least in appearance) of the current Synod, we immediately realize that what is being proposed to us is a different model of the Church.Tired SheepWhen writing is not just a passion but your profession, you have many pages and articles at your disposal to unfold your thoughts. In every line, in every text, you strive to express what you understand, what you experience, responding to substantial questions or the challenges of the day. And, when such an effort reaches a certain amplitude, you expect that everything...

On Saturday, September 21, 2024, Chase Melton shot a wolf in defense of self and others. There were several witnesses. It happened near the town of St. Germain, Wisconsin, a township in the North Woods about 20 miles from the border of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A township is usually six by six miles square. Chase is 19 years old. He and several of his younger friends had risen early to hunt ducks and geese. They arrived at their chosen location at about 3:45 a.m. on opening day. They set up their blinds and threw out their decoys just...

Typical of rural and small-town Wisconsin residents, Chase Melton loves fishing and hunting waterfowl and whitetail deer, and he’s used to seeing wolves in his state’s great outdoors. “I’ve never have had any trouble with them,” he told Cowboy State Daily. So he was completely unprepared for what happened last weekend. He and two other duck hunters were surrounded by a pack of wolves in northern Wisconsin, and he had to shoot and kill one in self-defense. “When it first happened, I thought, ‘Oh my God, what did I just do? I just killed a wolf!’” said Melton, 19, who...

Decisions made contrary to the wolf plan and comments from the First Gentleman raise concerns.. Colorado ranchers and lawmakers have questioned how Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are making decisions about wolves since the animals were introduced to the state starting in December. Concerns have peaked in recent months, however, as wildlife officials have gone outside of recommendations in the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, and have raised questions about whether Gov. Jared Polis is calling the shots on wolves. Sen. Dylan Roberts — who represents Senate District 8, which has been the epicenter of Colorado’s reintroduction efforts — asked...

Orcas relentlessly battered a yacht in a “terrifying” two-hour attack that didn’t end until the $128,680 vessel sunk to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. ... they were not playing at all, they knew exactly what they were doing. They knew the weak points of the boat, and they knew how to sink it... “Their sole intention was to sink the boat ... The five orcas circled the 39-foot sailing boat and took turns smashing it to bits .. in a coordinated assault Powell compared to the carnage of wolves. ... The pod of five first focused on the rudder,...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: ‘Silent shepherds’ are betraying Christ with their apathy'I fear time is running out, and that we are fast approaching a time when the cord of Mercy may be withdrawn from Heaven, and in its place, the rope of Justice shall swiftly descend,' writes Bishop Strickland. Featured Image 'The Taking of Christ'Caravaggio“As he was yet speaking, behold a multitude; and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus, for to kiss him. And Jesus said to him: Judas dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss?”...

As of last month, the global Muslim population achieved a remarkable milestone with over 2 billion adherents. This achievement bears great significance for both Arabs and Arab Americans. By exemplifying the expansion and impact of Islam and its cultural significance on a global scale. Approximately one-fourth of the world’s population consists of Muslims. As their numbers continue to rise, there is a greater acknowledgment and acceptance of Islam and its followers. This potentially fosters understanding and collaboration among diverse religious groups and ethnically diverse demographics. The Muslim population is rapidly growing due to Islam’s status as the world’s fastest-growing religion....