Wolves Gone Wild

Troubling wolf behavior reported
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
By Tim Mowry
Staff Writer
Published December 8, 2007

The furor caused by a bold, dog-eating pack of wolves in Two Rivers escalated on Friday when the Department of Fish and Game received an unconfirmed report of a wolf following a person near 15 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road.

“I got a phone call from someone who described a situation where a person was followed by a wolf,” said department spokeswoman Cathie Harms, reached by cell phone shortly after a press release about the incident was issued at 5 p.m. “If this is true, this is not a good sign.”

Officials hadn’t talked to the person who was allegedly followed and knew only that it was a “young person,” Harms said.

“All I know is it’s something we need to check on,” she said. “If it’s true, it’s the next level of habituation.”

Wolves can become habituated and lose their fear of humans when they approach people with no negative response, Harms said. Habituation can progress to the point where wolves show aggression toward people but so far that’s not the case, she said. In all of the previous accounts of wolf encounters with people in the area, the wolves ran away from people, Harms said.

“But if a wolf did follow someone, that indicates a higher level of habituation, which is grounds for concern,” she said.

The report came from almost the same place where the Department of Fish and Game is holding a public meeting on Sunday to discuss concerns over the wolves, which have been roaming back and forth between Two Rivers and North Pole for more than a month.

At least three dogs have been killed and eaten — two in Two Rivers and one in North Pole — and several residents living along Chena Hot Springs Road have reported seeing wolves in their yards or on trails in the area. State wildlife officials suspect it’s the same pack of five or six wolves that killed the dogs and have been seen by residents.

Department staff are following up on Friday’s report and hope to find out more before Sunday’s 5 p.m. meeting at the Two Rivers Church of the Nazarene, located at 14.9 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road. Biologists will share what information they have collected about the wolf pack at the meeting and will try to answer as many questions as possible, Harms said.

Several residents in the area have expressed concern about the safety of their children with wolves in the area and wildlife officials encourage parents to accompany their children to and from bus stops or while playing outside, Harms said.

If confronted by a wolf, a person should face the animal and either stand their ground or slowly back away, said Harms.

“Running from an aggressive dog increases the chance of a bite, and it’s similar for wolves,” she said.

If residents see wolves around their homes or on the trails, Harms said they should try to make the wolves uncomfortable by making loud noises, shooting at them or frightening them in a way that will encourage them to avoid humans.

Wolves can be shot in defense of life or property if they threaten people or domestic animals, Harms noted. She also said that hunting and trapping season for wolves is open as long as you have a hunting or trapping license. It should be noted, however, that it is illegal to shoot a wolf with a .22-caliber rifle because wolves are classified as big game in Alaska.

Contact staff writer Tim Mowry at 459-7587.

Your tax dollars at work to protect hybrids

It should be noted that the majority of the people quoted in this article directly funded via wolf programs so their salaries are at risk if your tax payer support is removed for supporting the need to now protect wolf hybrids.  Just look at the red wolf hybrid news.

Note: that the Endangered Species Act does not protect animals like wolves that do not interbreed when mature.  The head of US Fish and Wildlife Service Southwestern Division even admited at a Wolf Meeting in Silver City, New Mexico 2007, that wolves breed with coyotes and dogs in a public meeting when asked.

From the ESA definition #16

(16) The term ‘‘species’’ includes any subspecies of fish or wildlife or plants, and any distinct population segment of any species or vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds when mature.

Wolves are noted to breed with other members of the dog family.  So based on the ESA the wolf is not a species or even a sub species
Do you really want to spend your tax dollars to support a wolf that is not even a wolf?  Read between the lines how they now want you to protect this hybrid as a distinct species, thus relisting the wolf hybrid and spending more of your tax dollars.

From the New York Times article

Amid much fanfare this year, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service declared the western Great Lakes gray wolf successfully recovered from an encounter with extinction and officially removed it from the endangered species list. Under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, the wolf boomed in population to 4,000 in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin today, up from just several hundred in northern Minnesota in 1974.

But the victory celebration was premature, according to two evolutionary biologists, Jennifer A. Leonard of Uppsala University in Sweden and Robert K. Wayne of the University of California, Los Angeles. The historic Great Lakes wolf did not return intact from the edge of oblivion. Instead, the scientists report in the online edition of the journal Biology Letters, it hybridized with gray wolves moving in from Canada, coyotes from the south and west and the hybrids born of that mixing.

Wolf eradication programs and habitat destruction, followed by protection of the remaining wolves and habitat, created conditions for producing the hybrid animals, Dr. Leonard said. These animals should remain protected, she added, while researchers determine the full extent of hybridization with coyotes, whether it is continuing and whether it threatens to swamp the genetic heritage of the native wolf.

Rolf O. Peterson, a wolf ecologist at Michigan Technological University and the leader of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Eastern Gray Wolf Recovery Team, said it had been known for some time that hybridization between gray wolves and coyotes was happening in the region.

“What’s new in this paper,” he said, “is that they found no evidence of hybridization with coyotes in the historic samples — and no pure historic wolves in the current samples.”

“If the science committee had known about these findings,” he added, “we would have treated them seriously. We certainly would have liked to hold on to what was here 100 years ago. But I doubt that anything would have changed.”

The historic Great Lakes wolf is an enigma, with scientists debating whether it is a subspecies of gray wolf or a distinct species. The Fish and Wildlife Service officially considers the western Great Lakes wolf a “distinct population segment” of the gray wolf, found in a discrete geographic area.

That population today is made up largely of hybrids between the gray wolf and coyote, but some 31 percent of the animals carry genetic material from the native wolf, which appears to no longer exist in pure form. The researchers analyzed mitochondrial DNA, inherited through the mother and often used to distinguish lineages in humans and animals, from 17 early-20th century wolves and 68 contemporary wolves.

Responding to questions, several scientists saw no need to revisit the delisting in light of the new information.

“It is not clear what would be gained by keeping the Midwestern wolf population on the endangered species list,” said L. David Mech, a senior research scientist with the United States Geological Survey who has studied wolves for 50 years. “Whatever their genetic identity, there are over 4,000 wolves in the population, they are increasing rapidly, and are legally protected by the states.”

To answer the question genetically this hybrid is not a species.  It is a breed!  Just like specific breeds of dogs.

Here in the southwest Defenders of Wildlife, who claims at meetings to reimburse 100% for all confirmed wolf kills or vet expenses, we have seen time and time again how they fails to write the checks.  If they do write a check is often for less than 100%.  Your horse is worth $2000 to them as a top price. This time Defenders of Wildlife breaks their promises to compensate in Wyoming.  No doubt this will not be the first or the last time they reject a claim they promise publicly to pay. 

Of course they are still accepting your donations on the premise that they do reimburse.
  Thanks Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! For continuing to cover this important topic so the public knows their donations to Defenders of Wildlife are not really being used for the intended purpose.  Thanks for helping to expose what is going on with Defenders of Wildlife. 

I feel saddened for the animals that get injured and killed and also the people that continue to get jerked around by the environMental Extreme.  More details about the life threatening injuries this mule Bonny endured in this earlier story.   

In August 2006, a mule was attacked by a wolf or wolves while in a pasture northwest of Pinedale. Bonny, who is owned by Wolf Lake Outfitters, suffered numerous wounds, including having the base of her ears chewed up, gashes to her hocks and life-threatening wounds to her stomach, according to Todd Stevie, had the job of tending to the mule which somehow managed to survive the attack.“They had her down,” Stevie said of the wolf attack, yet Bonny managed to get back up and escape, hurt but alive.

Federal wildlife officials were quick to confirm that a wolf or wolves was responsible for the damage.  

I also guess if a wolf was to run your mule through a fence that also would not count as damage.   This is what wolf recovery looks like!  Carnage. 

Another word on wolf compensation - Never send Defenders photos of damage
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!  Orginal Story
November 30, 2007
Todd Stevie is simply the most current Sublette County, Wyoming livestock producer who has been denied compensation for damages caused by wolves. The story of the attack on Stevie’s mule was detailed here a few days ago. Although USDA Wildlife Services personnel confirmed that the damage to the mule was caused by a wolf or wolves, a full year after the event, Defenders of Wildlife sent Stevie a letter denying his claim. 

So what’s up with this? Defenders likes to tout how it fully compensates producers for damages. Stevie’s experience demonstrates the fallacity of Defenders’ statements. Unfortunately, he’s not alone. Defenders was never on the scene, never saw the mule, yet it claims its own experts determined that the damages were consistent with what could have been caused by a barbed-wire fence. This, even though Wildlife Services experts had already examined the ACTUAL ANIMAL and found it had been attacked by a wolf or wolves. 

The lesson learned is this - if you’re ever in the position of seeking reimbursement from Defenders of Wildlife for wolf predation, never send photos in with your claim. This is what Defenders used to deny Stevie’s claim. Animal damage control experts have even testified in court that photographs don’t tell the whole story. Scratch marks on the surface of an animal’s hide won’t show the depth of the puncture wounds caused by canid teeth, nor the amount of tissue damage caused by biting with powerful jaws. When it comes to wolf damage, it’s all below the surface. 

So for what it’s worth, take this advice: Do not include photographs with an application for wolf predation reimbursement from Defenders of Wildlife.  You can read more at Wolf Watch 

A few days ago a wolf that was seen in the town of Glenwood, New Mexico and on Nov 20, 2007 the wolf stalked the school playground.  The school was in lockdown.  Bill Richardson was given another chance to be concerned about our children’s safety. 

Yet again like times before Bill Richardson fails to protect children and panders to the environMental extreme by spending untold taxpayer dollars to look for some habituated home stalking Mexican Gray Wolves. 

“The disappearance of the Durango Pack of endangered Mexican Gray Wolves is a disturbing development in our efforts to recover this important species in New Mexico and Arizona,” he said. “I am asking the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to redouble their efforts to locate these wolves. The New Mexico Department of Game & Fish stands ready to help with this effort as needed.”

Yes the Durango pack is missing but a wolf stalking a school gave this presidential candidate a chance to show he cared for children’s safety.  But Bill Richardson loves his wolves not your children.

Note:  Bill Richardson said nothing on this wolf incident.  No redoubling efforts to protect children.  No requests to collar this uncollared wolf.  Nothing.  Are you children safe with Bill Richardson in the White House?

Some of the horse killing wolves to be removed. But no doubt more pups have been trained to kill.

The trapping will have to be done on private property because that is where these wolves keep hanging out.  

Again the Apathetic Press (AP) missed that part of the story because these wolves keep showing up and doing their killing on our land even on our porches. I wonder if a killer trespassed on their personal property that would be ok?

Why are we leaving these bad wolves on the ground for so long? More wolves set to be removed from Gila

This wolf, which weighs as much as 180 pounds, escaped on the 29th and the owner failed to report the escape as a responsible citizen would do.  There has also been time to see if this animal was property registered and tagged.  Communities were put at risk when this habituated wolf was allowed to run free. This person should be charged with endangering children.  This owner should be in some hot water.

Escaped wolf captured and put down in Owyhee County
Idaho Press-Tribune Staff
newsroom@idahopress.com 
Updated 13 hours 51 minutes ago
A domesticated wolf at large in Owyhee County was captured and put down today after a resident spotted the injured animal this morning.

The animal is thought to have killed one sheep and maimed two others after escaping from its pen in late October.
A deputy from the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office and an official from Idaho Fish and Game Conservation responded to the residence where the wolf had been located around 10:30 a.m. The animal appeared injured on one leg and the Fish and Game officer decided the only option was to destroy the animal.

Officials had feared that the animal might pose a danger to humans, due to its familiarity with people, spurring a week-long search by multiple agencies.

Authorities originally planned to capture the animal, but officials with the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office said that the wolf was destroyed when they determined it could not be approached close enough to tranquilize.

It is legal in Idaho to own wolves or hybrids that display wolf characteristics, provided that a $10 annual permit is obtained for each animal. The animal’s ears must also be tattooed to help distinguish them from wild wolves in the event of an escape.

An investigation is ongoing into whether or not the escaped wolf had the required tattoo— and whether or not the owner violated a requirement that she quickly report the escape.
Original Story

School on lockdown due to wolf stalking children

Friday, November 30, 2007 children at the Glenwood school in New Mexico had a wolf stalking children at their play ground.  The uncollared wolf appeared and was about 17 yards from the playground.  The school was quickly locked down.

The county wolf investigator was called out to cast tracks and look for other wolf evidence.

In 2005 the school in Blue Arizona was also stalked by the Aspen wolves who were later relocated to New Mexico and have been involved in various attacks and kills including slaughtering a little girls horse.

Is this what the wolf lovers were looking for when they support wolf recovery?

Habituated predators that can kill and prey on humans are not safe.  Today’s story is from Southern California where some dogs were attacked and one killed by a lion in an urban area.  First of all lions are generally scared of dogs and will run from them only attacking dogs if they feel safe.   So I am told by the local hunters here.   I have even seen lions run from jack russels; not that a lion will not get a dog but this is a bold lion indeed.  The issue is this lion has learned to prey in back yards. 

Add to that the dogs were in their own back yard.  Now the environMental do not even feel we can have our pets on our own property or yards as it is the lions right to kill our pets.

What if this had been a child playing in their own back yard?  The environMental does not care about your safety.

Dangerous predators in and around our homes need to be removed.  This is a public safety issue.  From the news reports it sounds like nothing is being done only the stay indoors and be a prisoner in your own home.

Mountain Lion Attack in Duarte
LOS ANGELES (KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO)  — Two dogs were attacked by a mountain lion in a Duarte backyard. A German shepherd was killed, and the other dog was injured.

The lion struck before dawn at a house on Cedarwood Avenue at the top of Las Lomas Road, according to Duarte city hall.

Animal Control and the Sheriff’s department were called to the scene.

The state Department of Fish and Game is recommending all pets be put inside at night. They also say children should not be left outside unsupervised in homes located near the foothills.
Orginal Story

WolfCrossing.org do a great job in posting a question for the YouTube.com CNN debates.  It will be intresting to see if their ESA question gets selected and how the canidates answer the question.  For their excellent effort and wonderful education on the wolf program they get my Wolf Award.

Please make sure to check out the video and post comments on WolfCrossing.org.

Durango wolf pack that had been harassing families and homes, has been lost by the government. A child even had to pack a gun to be in her yard due to these wolves.

The Mr. Parsons has made lots of money off the tax payer funded mongrel wolf program and he does not care that this wolf pack and the males previous mate had bit a person and was constantly harassing a family. Parsons wants large predator out in our area and dispersing to your area, he does not care if their is no natural or native prey for these predators.

Fish and Wildlife Service has also stated in meetings that all the mongrel Mexican Wolves we have hanging around our homes have genetic duplicates currently being cage raised to release elsewhere so the argument about important genetics even with the knowledge this man has of suspect dog breeding is nothing short of scandalous, misinformation and junk science.

There is even video of these wolves in another families front yard. These wolves were well known for causing trouble in the first time they were released before being picked up at tax payer expense and placed in wolfie dog spa for a year to roll the strikes off their record.

This biased reporter Rene Romo has also written very slanted articles in the past including leaving out information that children have been studied here and are having serious psychological issues due to the constant harassment by these wolves. Of course where was wolf lover Rene Romo or the Albuquerque Journal when the wolves were at the family’s home 28 times in 30 days. He could have gotten some great video like the family did. Any editor should be ashamed to miss such an news worthy event.

Then again how could the press keep the wolf wars going if they did not mislead and misrepresent the information. I guess it is better to slant the news and keep pandering to the environmental extreme then show people what the wolves are really doing.

Wolves Missing In Gila Forest By Rene Romo

LAS CRUCES— The suspicious disappearance of the three-member Durango wolf pack is the latest blow to the endangered Mexican gray wolf recovery program in southwestern New Mexico.

The pack, including two adults outfitted with radio collars that continue to transmit even if the wolf is dead, hasn’t been detected since early this month.
“We couldn’t find them,” said Elizabeth Slown, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Now their fate is considered unknown. … It’s perplexing. You could see one collar malfunctioning, but this would have to be two collars malfunctioning.”
Advocates of the program say it is suspicious for several wolves to suddenly go undetected after weeks of searches.
The Catron County commission on Nov. 7 warned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that it planned to trap the Durango pack’s alpha male, known as AM973, which the county considered a “dangerous wolf” because it had repeatedly gone near a home on the Adobe Ranch in northern Catron County.
“I would say it (the pack’s disappearance) is both worrisome and unusual,” said Dave Parsons, a conservation biologist with the Albuquerque-based Rewilding Institute and the former Fish and Wildlife Service coordinator for the program.
Laura Schneberger, president of the Gila Livestock Growers Association, agreed the disappearance is suspicious but added, “None of us had anything to do with it.”
The association has been critical of the wolf reintroduction because of repeated livestock kills and concerns about human safety.
“Of course it’s suspicious,” Schneberger said. “That’s what happens when you have a bunch of wolves running around people’s houses and camps. They are going to get killed, because people can’t put up with them. … Is anyone surprised that the Durango pack has gone missing after they were allowed to become so habituated?”
The pack, including an adult male and female and an uncollared pup, was last seen Nov. 1 near the ranch house in the northeast section of the Gila National Forest.
The recovery program has tried to track the wolves in aerial and ground searches.

Read the Rest of the Story but not the full, accurate or real story by any stretch of the imagination