USFWS Grants Landowner Permit to Kill Critically Endangered Red Wolf
Landowners who own property in the vicinity of the Red Wolf Recovery Program, a 27-year federal project aimed at restoring to the far-eastern edge of North Carolina one of nature’s most fragile species, claim red wolves are invading their private property and impacting their longstanding cultural tradition of deer hunting. Although the deer population has dropped somewhat, NC Wildlife Resources Commission representatives believe the decline is more likely the result of increased doe hunting than impacts by red wolves.
USFWS Red Wolf Recovery Coordinator, Dave Rabon, said opposition to red wolves isn’t pervasive. Cultural differences in Eastern North Carolina make it difficult for people to support a government-funded predator program. “A lot of them will work with us,” he said. “But they’re not going to advertise it. They’re not going to put a bumper sticker on their car.”
Fourteen red wolves died in 2013 that the coalition knows about, including nine dead by suspected or confirmed gunshot wounds. Another wolf was found killed, apparently shot, on Jan. 7. “Because of the similarity of appearance between red wolves and coyotes, it is nearly impossible for individual hunters to avoid shooting red wolves,” said the recent lawsuit that the Red Wolf Coalition and other wildlife groups filed against the state in its claim that it is not doing enough to protect.
To date, there are no known red wolf attacks on humans and few documented livestock kills. Still, resentment started building early on. Though red wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act, locals were promised that they would be classified as “nonessential and experimental,” giving landowners more leeway in dealing with them.
Farm owner Jett Ferebee has recently been granted by the USFWS the first (and only) known permit to kill one of the red wolves that they had not been able to trap and remove it from his Tyrell County property, as long as the taking was done while trying to legally kill coyotes on his farm.
Relief for landowners depends on what they expect,” said USFWS Red Wolf Recovery Coordinator, Dave Rabon.” Canids of some kind, whether wolves or coyotes, will always be in the area. With Mr. Ferebee,” he said, “we’ve been very successful removing animals from his property when he’s called us. But it’s temporary. They’re going to come back. Something is going to come back.” Rabon added that opposition isn’t pervasive. Cultural differences in Eastern North Carolina make it difficult for people to support a government-funded predator program. “A lot of them will work with us,” he said. “But they’re not going to advertise it. They’re not going to put a bumper sticker on their car.”
Fourteen red wolves died in 2013 that the Red Wolf Coalition knows about, including nine dead by suspected or confirmed gunshot wounds. Another wolf was found killed, apparently shot, on Jan. 7. “Because of the similarity of appearance between red wolves and coyotes, it is nearly impossible for individual hunters to avoid shooting red wolves,” said the lawsuit that the Red Wolf Coalition and other wildlife groups filed against the state.
If successful, the suit could stop coyote hunting altogether in the five eastern counties. If it does, one can expect continued conflict between pro-recovery efforts and landowners.
The red wolf (Canis rufus) is one of the world’s most endangered canids. Once common throughout the eastern and southcentral United States, red wolf populations were decimated by the early part of the 20th century as a result of intensive predator control programs and habitat loss. We oppose USFWS’ action to allow this landowner to lethally remove a red wolf. Thus, we ask that you express your opposition with a respectful email to the parties below:
By email:
cynthia_dohner@fws.gov (Regional Director, Southeast Region)
leopoldo_miranda@fws.gov (Assistant Regional Director, Southeast Region)
d_m_ashe@fws.gov (Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Exposing the Big Game 
Recovery of a species, such as the Red Wolf in the Carolinas and other SE States, means protection of them against those who would sabotage any such recovery such as landowners, sportsmen (hunters), ranchers and farmers, all same of the traditional enemies of predators. The USFWS seems to forget this over and over, such as the recovery of the gray wolf in the Midwest and West where delisting and putting them in state management hands automatically turns them over to their traditional enemies (ranchers, hunters, and the state wildlife agencies who are closely tied to the opinions and politics of these groups) in effect turning an endangered and recovering predator or other species over to political management at the state level. Recovery should include stringent reluctance to issue permits to kill when nonlethal means have not been tried or in place in the case of an offending predator. Permits should not be easily issued just simply because a landowner does not want the predator on his/her property. It is the duty of USFWS to protect the endangered species and not abrogate that responsibility because of political pressures at the local level or because the landowner is rich and powerful. Doing this weakens and threatens the concept of ESA and USFWS recovery programs. Also the traditional hate groups of predators are saturated with folklore, myth, and even lies about the predators, such as the introduction of giant Canadian foreign wolf into the west and the myth of the giant coyote-red wolf hybrid in the SE, and the myth/folklore both places that the wolf is a wanton killer of wildlife, especially game herds, and stock when in fact they provide a healthy ecological balance to their ecologies and do not have a significant impact on stock or game herds. The mythologizers often get their folklore repeated in newspapers and other media often and repeatedly with the news media just repeating what they hear from these groups instead of fact checking and doing research and investigative reporting. So, it is up to conservation groups and USFWS to counter these myth, folklore and even lies and not to abet them in action or failure at education. The gray wolf and the red wolf and the SW lobo wolf (Mexican Wolf) will not survive without countering the political efforts of predator hate groups and individuals who are all out to sabotage recovery, and who will repeat their myths, folklore and lies against all efforts to inform them otherwise. These groups, including many or most state wildlife agencies and individuals will only come to accept the wolves and recovery over a long period of time being forced to do so by law, by protections that are the duty of USFWS and ESA guidelines.
References: http://bit.ly/1mlYPso
Contacted By email:
cynthia_dohner@fws.gov (Regional Director, Southeast Region)
leopoldo_miranda@fws.gov (Assistant Regional Director, Southeast Region)
d_m_ashe@fws.gov (Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Great post, Roger. I am so sick of the USFWS playing politics and pandering to those who fear and hate predators. It’s well past time for them to grow a set.
“impacting their long-standing cultural tradition of deer hunting!!! – That phrase just leaves me cold; and the use of the words ‘cultural’ and ‘tradition’ in the same sentence in this context are just plainly wrong. Where do they get their inspiration from! – These phrases are becoming more and more contrived. What pathetic and immoral people they are. They must not be allowed to kill any of these wolves, under any circumstances – certainly not under this lame excuse.
seeing them say its cultural makes me ill. its so wrong
Unless we vehemently challenge the whole idea of “management” by these agencies, no wild animal will have peace or justice. Most “traditions” are barbaric, and should be questioned at the very least. Whether a “predator” is a wolf, coyote, mountain lion, bear, or any other native animal stereotyped by these inbred idiots, he/she belongs out there. Here in The West, we are facing even worse forest fires this spring, than ever before. Yet, grazing, logging and other destructive human activities are rampant on our public lands. Rancher/farmer/hunters continue to oppose all critical wildlife re- introductions, & protections, because they hate all predators, and other wild animals, such as prairie dogs, beavers, etc. Wild life groups have genuflected to ranchers and hunters with the idea that we “can coexist with them.” Trouble is, the native animals cannot, not with destructive human activity, and Climate Change now upon us.
Stop stop stooop kill and the Animals hurt
“INVADING PRIVATE PROPERTY”????? This is the most ridiculous excuse I’ve ever heard of. What is wrong with some humans. When you buy land that belongs to the wild life you better make shore nothing bad happens to them. If you don’t want wolves, than buy a boat! I can’t believe the audacity and the relentless disrespect to wild life as if “they” are GOD and decide who is to die and who to live. I am tired of the so called “hunters”and “farmers”. They relentlessly enslave, torture, abuse, control, jail and murder animals for profits. I would NEVER eat dead flesh. Nor I want to have anything to do with encouraging, promoting the murders of defenceless living beings!
“Hunters” and “farmers” are “ROTTEN APPLES” for society and the echo system. NOTHING but, legal MURDERERS! No brains, no diploma of any kind, no special skills nor tactics required! If you can afford to buy land,car,truck, ammunitions, hunting permit, gun and all the equipment to kill animals you ARE NOT STARVING and YOUR LIFE IS NOT IN DANGER. Killing for “FUN” is pretty dumb but inexplicably legal??? Killing animals because of greed is selfish, arrogant and disrespectful to nature and it’s living beings. Killing wolves to protect your farm animals is outrageous. Why not make stronger fences? How hard is that? Killing endangered species or any animal for your own purposes and needs is CRIMINAL. ANIMALS DO NOT BELONG TO ANY ONE BUT NATURE.
Just because YOU ARE FORCING ANIMALS IN YOUR MAN-MADE JAIL LIKE HITLER DID TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE it doesn’t mean they are yours to kill. So FARMERS and HUNTERS are LEGAL MURDERERS.
I despise “hunters” and “farmers” pretending to be of some weird “importance”? Their careless actions are resulting in the disappearance of wild life. One would think that if they are legal, there must be doing something wright but, IS the opposite! I don’t have to be scientist nor expert of any kind to tell you that, the shooting at clueless, defenceless, very important beings for the echo system is PURE MURDER and IS CRIMINAL!!!
You can find all kinds of ridiculous excuses none of which will make sense to justify EVIL, GREED and STUPIDITY! Way before man-made tools everything on this planet was clean, well balanced and peaceful! Un till we “the geniuses” begun the long SELF-DESTRUCTIVE path of HELL on EARTH!? We can’t pretend we are better than animals when we don’t respect them and others but discriminate, abuse,use,torture,rape and even use relentless sadistic unnecessary methods and kill species for our own purposes and gains. How stupid is that? Eventually we are all going to die and leave everything behind. Life is short but the more some have the more they want. Not realizing that after all we have left is our conciseness to deal with and what we will leave behind for our children, grand children and others. What is there to be proud of? Please help rid of MONSTERS forever. STOP eating animal flesh, stop promoting the self destruction of our planet and species.
I don’t believe this. There has to be more to it.
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