trapping of wolves in Alaska

The sadness of trapping is personalized for us today in a front page Washington Post story headed, "Alaska's Studied Wolf Pack Threatened. State Officials Resist Calls to Expand Protected Territory."

It opens:
"Lying alone and listless on a snow-covered ridge, the large male wolf appeared injured, probably from a trap. Blood stained the snow near his front paws. Circling above in a single-engine airplane, wildlife biologist Gordon Haber found it difficult to maintain his composure. For nearly 40 years, he has been observing a family of wolves, whose current leader was the lethargic alpha male down below him in the snow. That family, which lives in Denali National Park and is often described as the longest-studied, most-photographed group of wolves in the world, is now at risk. In the past two months, trappers operating just outside the park's northeastern border have picked off two senior females in the 11-member group. For weeks, the alpha male and his new mate have been separated from each other and from six younger members of the pack.

"'It's so senseless,' Haber shouted over the aircraft noise. 'I'm not sure what is worse: the animals being killed or all the so-called experts allowing it to happen."

We read:
"Trapping the Toklat wolves also raises questions about the ethical treatment of animals that for decades have been cosseted inside a park, where they have been regarded as prime tourist attractions and have learned to associate people with harmless curiosity -- not with the slow, lethal torment of a trap."

And:
"In February, Haber, whose work is funded by an animal rights group and whose views often annoy state and federal wildlife experts, asked the Alaska Board of Game to stop wolf trapping in a narrow wedge of state land that juts into the national park's northeastern corner. That is where the Toklat wolves, wandering out of the park in search of caribou, have been caught in traps in recent months. But the board, which several years ago did create a small no-trap buffer in that area, has refused to expand it."

The response of Mike Fleagle, the board's chairman, is interesting:

"We don't manage wolves for their safety and livelihood and whatnot. We feel that wolves shouldn't be treated individually. Sure, wolves are complex, and sure, they have a pretty interesting social structure, but the bottom line is Alaska is crawling with wolves. We manage for population."

Of course, the popular Toklat wolves suffer no more than any other trapped wolves, or than the millions of animals trapped every year in the United States for their fur. The article opens the door for letters about various aspects of the way we treat members of other species.

It is a long and interesting article, which you can read on line at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23709-2005Apr3.html

The Washington Post takes letters at: letters [at] washpost.com and advises, "Letters must be exclusive to The Washington Post, and must include the writer's home address and home and business telephone numbers. Because of space limitations, those published are subject to abridgment. Although we are unable to acknowledge those letters we cannot publish, we appreciate the interest and value the views of those who take the time to send us their comments."


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