The Fish and Wildlife Service bows to pressure from antigovernment groups, removing the animals’ endangered status
The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent announcement that it is beginning the process for removing gray wolves across the country from the protection of the Endangered Species Act surprised no one. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s mid-1990s reintroduction of gray wolves — a species virtually extirpated in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries — into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho marked a triumph for conservationists and ranks as one of the most striking fulfillments of the Endangered Species Act. But as I have reported here and here, the wolves quickly met enemies.
By the early 2000s a loose coalition of hunters’ groups, outfitters, and ranchers — along with the many disaffected men embracing militia groups, local “sovereignty” and states rights, particularly rights to use public lands without federal regulation — coalesced around the idea that wolves represented icons of the hated federal government. The wolves, they all-but-screamed, constituted lethal threats to deer and elk, livestock, and ultimately, people. The long, bitter wolf war reached its climax in the summer of 2011, when Congress took the unprecedented act of removing the wolf populations of the Northern Rockies from the endangered species list. In May 2011, the Fish and Wildlife Service, weary of the many problems involved in wolf management (or, rather, public relations management), delisted gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes states, where some 4,400 wolves resided. Idaho, Montana and Wyoming subsequently initiated hunts and the use of government marksmen to reduce wolf numbers from around 1,700 to a much lower level.
The FWS’s proposed delisting of gray wolves across the country is simply the continuation of the agency’s long retreat in the face of wolf hater intimidation. Still, it’s important to understand how the FWS legitimizes its abandonment of wolves. A close examination of the FWS’ proposed rule change is a case study in the politicization of science. The FWS report excels at cherry picking, choosing certain scientific studies while rejecting others. It’s also an excellent example of bureaucratic hand-waving, simply dismissing long established facts whenever they become inconvenient. The final result is like a weird game of scientific Twister: The FWS bends itself into all sorts of contortions to conform to a political agenda.
The article continues here: http://www.salon.com/2013/06/25/is_the_far_right_driving_gray_wolves_to_extinction_partner/
Exposing the Big Game 
The public, as opposed to righ/left political BS, is the real enemy of wolves & wildlife. All this wolf hatred is generated by steak & burger interests. If the masses instead of eating animals ate fruits & veggies exclusively instead, the animal growers wouldn’t have a leg to stand on regardless of their political opportunism. They’re phonies in all aspects including politics…their loyalties are to whomever will give them whatever they want, and those who give them what they want are kowtowing to what is popular with THE PUBLIC because they want their continued voting them into power, and majority of the public is obsessed & emotional about their food habits, easily manipulated, and conformist. Even many supposed wolf lovers of any political persuasion. That’s why the NRB ignored 81% because they know most of those people eat cows and are easily shot down by being called hypocrites. The best way to stop the wolf massacre… everyone go vegan, be a great example, encourage everyone else to join you. Forget about political blame-gaming which is and always has been a popularity & power game…ugly…a deceptive divider of human beings.
The wolf or wildlife should not be a battle in political battles…….”We the people…..” not We with the money….. should decide, not fearful state Fish and Game “Chicken shit” managers That is bull shit!
It makes me really sad that wolves may end up becoming extinct unless we, the public, can change this.
The far right mentality is definitely the major factor in driving the anti-wolf movement. I have recognized it for years as I realized that talking to them is the same as talking to the far right on political issues. They live in an alternative universe where reason, facts, science are irrelevant to them because they operate from their belief systems which are impervious to reason, facts, science. They just make up this universe of theirs and talk to each other. They discount expert opinion that is different. Unfortunately, many political leaders are of the same mindset, i.e. Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and wildlife agencies are run by the same mindsets. An excellent book was written on the Republican Brain by Chris Mooney. These same minds are anti-ESA, anti-EPA, all about state sovereignty over federal when it comes to wildlife and public land use with them favoring rancher and sportsmen and extraction industries and development and leasing public land to ranchers and farmers at a pittance of a fee. They largely think global warming is a hoax by the left and left thinking scientists. They are of a flat earth mentality. Unfortunately, the goals of the far right are aided by an unconcerned and uninformed public, congress, and state legislatures; and a public that hear those voices because newspapers and other media often repeat their lies, myth and folklore regarding wolves about stock or game herds depredations. These minds, the far right, are knee jerk oppositional to change.
Ok, folks, happy July. Now we are counting down days until the bullets fly. Arguing philosophy won’t save wolves now. Action will save a few. I would propose at the very least, that our wolves in National parks be contained in a huge fenced-in area, the fence coming out of gov’t surplus, so that each pack has it’s area, safe from humans and other predators until this mess is settled. And that a genetically viable population is established and free of disease and pesky mange mites. They , the powers that be, have no right to willie-nilly claim ownership of a creature that they did not purchase. If you say for example, were accused of stealing someting and had to go to court, the person accusing you has to prove ownership and value. Since they didn’t pay for the wolves then they can not produce either ownership or value.. If they try to argue the value is in their research, then ask them what that value is. Then multiply that by every radio collared wolf shot and file charges against the FWS for allowing fraud, waste and abuse of tax-payers money by allowing hunting of research subjects. I’d love to see every one of those goons brought to justice. The states have set value at the price of a wolf tag. They have dubious owvership at best. I still think personhood is the way to go but time is wasting and right now, only you and your community knows the fastest means to the end of the wolf hunt. We all need to do something, and fast. Rescuing wolves is an option. Like I said, it is up to them to prove ownership and value. If you have a bill of sale for a wolf mix sled dog, their case is dead instead of the wolf. Any wolf that wanders out of a National park is going to die, either as road kill or by lack of fear of the humans. A camera click and a trigger really don’t sound that different to a wolf who is used to people with cameras, taking photos of wolves.
Fence-in the park? You’ve got to be kidding.