Wolf Photos Copyright Jim Robertson
Model for Animal Planet’s Scat Award
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Tag Archives: wolves
Animal Planet Cancels Man-Eating Super Wolves Show
Program Nominated for Scat Award by
International Wolf Center
Contact: Tom Myrick, communications director
Office: 763-560-7374 , ext. 225
Cell: 763-567-1907
Following sharp public criticism, Animal Planet removed its Man-Eating Super Wolves show from previously scheduled air times on Tuesday evening, May 27, and Wednesday, May 28. The program was a part of the special series Monster Week, which routinely demonizes real and imagined predators.
“The show was irresponsible,” said the Center’s Executive Director Rob Schultz. “Producers blended distorted facts, fabricated details and unreliable resources to confuse the public and incite fear and hatred of wolves.”
It is because of these damaging distortions that Man-Eating Super Wolves has been nominated for the Center’s 2014 Scat Award, given for the worst portrayal of wolves in the media, literature or cinema.
“Left unchecked, these distortions can cause people to make poor and misinformed decisions that affect the future of wolves living in the wild,” Schultz explained.
Renowned Senior Research Scientist and wolf expert L. David Mech, of the U.S. Geological Survey, denounced the program as “Total nonsense and a real disservice to the wolf, to science, and to the public.
Mech, who has spent his 55-year career studying wolves in many areas of the world, says that the program is one of the most sensationalistic, exaggerations of the real wolf that he has ever seen.
“If wolves were so dangerous to humans,” Mech asked, “how have Minnesotans canoeing and hiking survived throughout the Superior National Forest and other parts of northern Minnesota, where some 2,500 or 3,000 wolves roam? Or throughout most of Canada, where an estimated 60,000 wolves live?”
Photo Caption: Mech takes behavioral notes on an arctic wolf during a research expedition. He carries no gun and never felt he needed to do so.
“Wolf attacks on humans are uncommon and extremely rare,” says Schultz. “To suggest that wolves have consumed all of their natural prey and are beginning to feed on humans is ridiculous and demonstrates a lack of understanding of our natural world.”
The Scat Award was last given to the movie The Grey in 2013.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.
Norway store caught selling wolfskin rugs
An upmarket furniture shop in Norway has outraged animal rights activists after it was caught selling wolfskin rugs – despite the fact that the wolf is an endangered animal in the country.
The rugs were on sale for 27,800 Norwegian kroner ($4,682) each.
Ingunn Lund-Vang, from the animal rights organization Predator Alliance Norway (Bygdefolk for Rovdyr) on Sunday attacked the shop as “completely unethical and abusive” in a post on Facebook.
“There are no fur farms for wolves so either the wolf was shot somewhere, or it may be from abroad, where it is permitted to hunt wolves with a foot trap,” she told Norway’s VG newspaper. “This is a barbaric trapping method that involves hours of pain for the animals. If so, it’s even worse.”
Ruben Amundsen, Mobelringen’s general manager, on Sunday moved rapidly to diffuse the scandal, apologizing immediately. “We have now removed the skin, and it will never be for sale in the shop again,” he said.
He said that he had bought the wolf skins, which had been imported from Canada, at a design fair in Oslo. The skins’ importer, Erik Garthus, told VG that the trade was “perfectly legal”, stressing that the animal had been shot, not trapped.
According to Norway’s wildlife research organization Rovdata, the country’s wolf population is now down to less than 37 animals, leading some to fear that the animal could soon be extinct.
Wolf Update
WOLF UPDATE 5.26.2014
Latest Posted Idaho Wolf Hunt Kill total (current season): 188
Latest Posted Idaho Wolf Trapping Kill total: 104
Latest Posted Montana Wolf Hunt Kill Total (current season): 144
Latest Posted Montana Wolf Trapping Kill total: 86
Wyoming Wolf Kill Total (2014):0
Latest Posted Montana Wolf Hunt Kill Total (current season): 144
Latest Posted Montana Wolf Trapping Kill total: 86
Wyoming Wolf Kill Total (2014):0
Regional Total Reported Killed Since Delisting: 1744
WEST COAST
- Wolves: The hopes and dangers ahead (Crosscut: May 12)
- Gray wolf: Endangered-list decision looms as lawmakers debate (Oregon Live May 12)
- Endangered wolves need our protection (Portland Tribune May 15)
- World premiere of Oregon wolf documentary to be a howling success (Portland Tribune May 15)
- Worries about wolves (Herald and News May 20)
- Cooke presents study linking exposure to wolf attacks with chronic stress symptoms in cows (Burns Times and Herald May 21)
- Growing Wolf Population Worries Ranchers (KTVL May 15)
- Oregon Hunters Compete With Wolves For Game (KTVL May 13)
- Western Wolves a Growing Population (KTVL May 12)
- Wolf conference features several local, national speakers (White Mountain Independent May 24)
NATIONAL
- Author Farley Mowat, Who Wrote ‘Never Cry Wolf,’ Dies At 92 (Wyoming Public Media MAY 8)
- Protect the Endangered Species Act [Editorial] (Scientific American March 18)
- Environmental Prize Winner Looks to Wolves to Understand Humans (Voice of American May 8)
- Family room: Wolves need enemy-free space to raise offspring say ecologists (Phys.org May 13)
- Wolf Survival Places a Premium on Space (Discovery News May 13)
- I don’t want to be right (New Yorker May 19)
- Wolves Have Razor Sharp Teeth and Hear Your Beating Heart (Psychology Today May 22)
- A Pack Of Wolves Approached This Woman, And What Happened Next Shocked Me!! (May 17)
NORTHERN ROCKIES
- New wolf quotas rile crowd (Jackson Hole News & Guide May 9)
- Wyoming warns public away from wolf traps (The Prairie Star May 13)
- G&F aims low for wolves (Jackson Hole News & Guide May 14)
- Northern Yellowstone Wolves Compete for Territory; Study Finds (Nature Wolf News May 13)
- Game and Fish begins gray wolf trapping (Wyoming Star Tribune May 15)
- Wolf lovers meet with Otter at Idaho Capitol protest (Idaho Statesman May 19)
- In brief: Wyoming to trap, monitor wolves (The Spokesman Review May 18)
- Wyoming wildlife officials begin trapping wolves (Independent Record May 17)
- Montana advances 100-wolf quota for landowners (SF Gate May 22)
- Montana FWP approves killing of 100 wolves per year by landowners (The Missoulian May 22)
- Montana Announces Wolf Conservation Stamp! (NRDC Blog May 21)
- Officials: Wolf kills border collie herding sheep (Seattle PI May 20)
- Idaho’s Bizarre Gubernatorial Debate (The Colbert Report May 21)
ELSEWHERE AND OTHER
- Wisconsin wolf population still well over goal (WEAU April 29)
- Wis. wolf population falls following hunting season (Badger Herald May 1)
- No jail for wolf figure, almost $1,900 in fines ordered against farmer accused of leaving cattle vulnerable (Michigan Live May 9)
- State: No Mexican gray wolves for Flagstaff area (AZ Daily Sun May 11)
- Wolves: The hopes and dangers ahead (BND.com May 8)
- DNA tests: Wolf shot in Buchanan County in February (WCF Courier May 8)
- A tale of wolves, moose and missing ice (Science News May 13)
- Political flier suggests Barrett soft on “Canadian wolves” (Idaho Statesman May 14)
- Wolves Roam to New States, Tragedy for One (Nature World News May 15)
- US judge blocks coyote hunting near NC red wolves (Washington Times May 15)
- Protesters oppose state wolf policy (Fox 9 May 19)
- Game and Fish should wait for full wolf EIS (AZ Daily Sun May 15)
- A needed ceasefire spares NC’s red wolves (News & Observer May 15)
“Documentary” Presents Distorted View of Wolves
Portrayal of the wolf as ravenous superpredator is hyperbolic exaggeration.
May 26, 2014 by Mark Derr in Dog’s Best Friend
Last week my colleague and fellow Psychology Today blogger, Marc Bekoff, called out Animal Planet over a particularly noxious piece of myth making that purports to sound an alarm about super-predatory wolves. These ravenous creatures, we are told, have decimated their natural, wild prey—elk, deer, moose—and now must turn to livestock and even humans themselves. These wolves are stone-cold killers with razor sharp teeth who can hear your heart beating fear and terror. They are living among us and they are proliferating. In times of scarcity, they can form into super packs with hundreds of wolves and besiege whole towns.
Man-Eating Super Wolves (cost is $1.99 but save your money), the program containing these hyperbolic exaggerations, ran as part of Animal Planet’s “Monster Week.” It represents nearly all that is wrong with nature films. It is sensationalist; it has a tenuous relationship to its subject in particular and nature in general; at its best, it is misleading. Despite the presence of Gregory Erickson, a paleobiologist from Florida State University who tries to keep the narrative from spinning free of reality, this program is what in journalism is known as a one-source story, relying on the views of one man, Valerius Geist, an ethologist specializing in wild ungulates, now retired from the University of Calgary. Geist is best known for providing intellectual cover to the most extreme wolf-haters. Perhaps he is the primary on screen source because the filmmakers could find no reputable wolf biologist who shares his vision. Erickson isn’t a wolf biologist—he specializes in alligator evolution and predatory dinosaurs.
Geist’s central thesis as expressed on this program is that wolves are blood-thirsty killers who, as they have increased in numbers due to government protection, have depleted their natural, wild prey and turned to livestock and ultimately humans. According to him, they are “cunning, intelligent, relentless.” They study us in order to prey upon us. Geist thinks anyone who thinks a wolf or wolf hybrid is their friend is delusional. We must kill them before they turn on us, and when you do confront one, he says, you should always stare into its eyes and never flinch; that way you establish dominion.
The program is filled with reenactments (unlabeled as such) of the two officially recorded fatal wolf attacks on humans in North America: the first, November 8, 2005, when wolves purportedly killed Kenton Carnegie, a young university student at Points North Landing, Saskatchewan, Canada; and the second, March 8, 2010, when wolves killed Candice Berner in the village of Chignik Lake, Alaska.
This program depicts a gruesome death for Kenton Carnegie while failing in any way to reveal that questions remain. Despite an official coroner’s ruling that wolves were responsible, some experts have suggested from the start that a black bears…
Montana Announces Wolf Conservation Stamp
[Good news for those who believe that wolves should be responsibly “managed”…]
Zack Strong
Last week, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) announced that it would be proposing a “Wolf Conservation Stamp” at its May 22 meeting that, if approved, would be available for purchase by the public later this year. This is a truly groundbreaking proposal because it creates, for the first time, an opportunity for anyone to contribute funding to FWP that would only be spent on efforts to promote the conservation and responsible management of wolves and other wildlife in the state.
FWP, and wildlife management agencies around the country, are struggling to find ways to increase and diversify their revenue bases. The Wolf Conservation Stamp presents the perfect opportunity for non-hunters, non-trappers, “non-consumptive” wildlife watchers and recreationists to help support FWP while contributing to wolf and wildlife conservation in Montana – and by doing so, to add their voices and perspectives to the development of wildlife policies in our state.
Here’s how it would work. After covering the costs of administering the program, revenue generated by the purchase of wolf stamps would be equally allocated and spent in three ways:
- One third would be made available to Montana livestock owners to help pay for nonlethal ways to protect their animals from predators like wolves, bears and mountain lions. By keeping both livestock and large carnivores alive, this would be a good deal for ranchers and wolves alike.
- Another third would be used to pay for studying wolves, educating the public about wolves, and improving or purchasing suitable wolf habitat. This would benefit everyone, by increasing our knowledge about wolves, ensuring the public has access to accurate information about wolves, and securing habitat in which wolves and other wildlife can thrive.
- The final third would be used to hire additional FWP wardens—essentially, wildlife police—in occupied wolf habitat. This would enhance enforcement of our wildlife management laws as they pertain to wolves and other species, and reduce incidents of poaching, trespassing, wasting animals, unlawful use of or failure to check traps, and other violations. This is something every Montanan and every American—hunters, non-hunters, property owners, public land users, agency officials, recreationists, and wildlife enthusiasts alike—should encourage and support.
And what’s more, the wolf stamp would be available to everyone. Just as FWP allows non-residents to purchase and use hunting and trapping licenses in the state, the wolf stamp would be available to any wildlife or conservation supporter, anywhere in the country.
If you care about wildlife in the northern Rocky Mountains, including wolves, we believe this is truly a chance to make a difference. Please spread the word about this proposal. And please thank FWP for its leadership and willingness to create this unique opportunity to directly support and contribute to conservation and sound wildlife management in Montana.
Tonight’s the Night…
…that Animal Planet spreads their latest wolf lies.
Contact info for Discovery (their corporate parent).
The above link is quite slow, perhaps due to an overload of comments, so you might try their phone number – this works! (571 )262-4899.
Petition:
Full episodes will air:
Today, Sunday May 25th at 1:00 p.m. EST
Tuesday, May 27th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
Wednesday May 28th at midnight Eastern and 4:00 a.m. Eastern on the Animal Planet channel (630 HD on Fios).
Ewwwww, We’re Not Watching “Animal Planet” Anymore
To anyone who is angry at what Animal Planet did to wolves and are fed up with the anti-wildlife and non-educational programming being aired on Discovery owned networks, here is a number to call to tell them off.
Discovery: 571-262-4899 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 
571-262-4899 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Feel free to call them and tell them how you feel. Time to take a stand.
Montana FWP approves killing of 100 wolves per year by landowners
(AP) BILLINGS – Montana landowners could kill a combined 100 gray wolves annually if the predators are perceived to pose a threat to humans or domestic animals, according to a rule that received initial backing from state wildlife commissioners Thursday.
The proposal significantly expands the circumstances under which wolves can be killed without a hunting license.
The Montana Legislature passed a measure last year requiring the change. The legislation didn’t define what qualifies as a “potential threat” so the Fish and Wildlife Commission didn’t detail it either, spokesman Ron Aasheim said.
Previously, landowners were largely limited to shooting wolves that had attacked or were attacking livestock. Under the new rule, shooting wolves would be permitted whenever they pose a potential threat to human safety, livestock or domestic dogs.
Critics say the proposal is excessive and equates to a year-round wolf-hunting season.
A final vote is scheduled for July.
Between 2005 and 2013, landowners killed 69 wolves in response to livestock attacks. Over that same time period, hundreds of the animals were shot by government wildlife agents.
Separately, commissioners on Thursday tentatively approved hunting regulations for the 2014-15 wolf season.
The annual wolf quota would be reduced from four animals to three in an area near Yellowstone National Park, and trapping for wolves would be allowed for the first time in several wildlife management areas.
Gray wolves were exterminated across most of the Lower 48 states last century before being reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in the mid-1990s.
The population has since grown exponentially, and there were 627 wolves counted in Montana at the end of 2013.
The animals were removed from the endangered species list in 2011.
During the past year, hunters took 144 wolves in Montana during a season that started in September and ended in March. Trappers took 86 wolves.
Animal Planet: Remove Wolf-Hating Episode!
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/animal-planet-remove.fb47?source=s.icn.fb&r_by=10588579
Petition by Elizabeth Huntley
To be delivered to John S. Hendricks, Chairman of Discovery Communications
Petition Statement
It’s unacceptable and irresponsible to air an episode depicting wolves as over-populated, man-eating, and causing “murderous carnage”. To air such an episode perpetuates myths and misconceptions about wolves that scientific research has long ago de-bunked! Tell Animal Planet to remove this episode and issue a formal apology to viewers for airing such a false and misleading program about wolves!
There are currently 1,816 signatures. NEW goal – We need 2,000 signatures!
Wolves in the United States are fighting for their lives. De-listed from the Endangered Species List in six states, they are hunted, trapped, and gassed in their dens, resulting in at least a 20% overall drop in their population. Wolves are not a threat to humans, and have a minimal impact on livestock losses. Wolves are deeply committed to family life, and when a pack member is slain, it can fatally disrupt pack life. Animal Planet must stop perpetuating lies about wolves!
You can leave a comment for Animal Planet at this number 1-571-262-4899 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-571-262-4899 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting – it’s the best way to do so – thank you!
Exposing the Big Game 