Here’s the text of a friend’s testimony to the WDFW at their wolf “management hearing:
I’m speaking on behalf of wolf protection and recovery. I’m going to cover three points tonight.
First, perceived “conflicts” with majestic predators like wolves or cougars are just one of the COUNTLESS examples of the negative impact livestock grazing is having our state and planet. You mentioned California’s drought and fires raging in the forests of Washington, which are a direct result of livestock grazing. Climate change aside, livestock grazing continues to decimate wildlife populations at utterly astonishing rates.
My second point is that rural forested USFS land is remote and ideal for predators like wolves. Looking at the pictures of this habitat shown tonight, I was frankly shocked. This is land where I’d expect wolves should be able to live, free from harm. Where in the species recovery process are wolves expected to live and thrive if even THIS habitat is considered unacceptable for them (but appropriate for sheep grazing)?
My final point is that killing is NOT management. The fact that aerial gunning–one of the most traumatic and terrifying and cruel methods of killing–was used speaks to where I fear the department’s values lie. Further, that USDA’s WL Services–which is increasingly under scrutiny for their careless killing practices–was used to do the department’s killing speaks to the same. I call WL Services the “killing squads” because ALL they do is kill; they kill wildlife en mass and usually in exceedingly cruel ways. I’ve seen them kill first-hand, with my own eyes. This is unacceptable.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening.
Exposing the Big Game 
Great comments! Did your friend receive a response?
Sad to say these wildlife “experts” don’t care. They don’t care about suffering or the sophisticated social relationships that are disrupted and the ensuing familial chaos and grieving. Both the state and federal “wildlife” agencies were established to manipulate populations for the benefit of hunters and trappers and to persecute species on behalf of ranchers and farmers (and hunters and trappers who feel certain species are inconvenient). It’s all crazy, isn’t it? But trying to reason with WDFW or Wildlife Services personnel is like trying to persuade chid molesters that young people should be valued and treated with care and respect. Yet molestation is what they DO and what they ENJOY, and they’re not going to be persuaded no matter what. I feel that state wildlife agency and Wildlife Services personnel are killers through and through. That’s why they’re in those positions. They like it, and just like serial killers who prey on human victims, they are missing some element of conscience that makes concepts like mercy, compassion, and empathy entirely foreign and entirely irrelevant.
Your friend’s testimony is eloquent and heart-felt, but — given the audience — almost certainly fell on deaf ears.
Absolutely thay lack the concepts of mercy, compassion and empathy. I have known of the culling of burros in Death Valley. Despite the friendly facade of the rangers to the visitor public behind the scenes they took high powered rifles and gunned down herds en mass. I worked there at the time and only found out about the culls later. It is done out of sight so little kids won’t be upset.
I recall one ranger was disturbed by the killing spree and expressed his sadness at having to look at a baby burro and blow it away. The other staff laughed at him for his feelings. I was an interpreter ranger and was not called upon to kill. I do not work for the government any longer but those agencies have no soul.
These mass animal killings are called “direct reduction.”