Alaskan Wolves face aerial gunning by Fish & Game Biostitutes, pressure by hunters to cull

Anchorage's KTVA tv's website is reporting that the State of Alaska is considering using its own helicopters to slaughter up to 382 wolves before the snow melts. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the gunners have killed 38 wolves so far this winter. This is part of a four year program put into place by the state Alaskan Fish and Game biostitutes. Anchorage Daily news is reporting that 550 wolves have been slaughtered since the programs latest incarnation 4 years ago.

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski banned the aerial slaughter program. The current governor is being pressured by the biostitutes and few moose hunters. Anchorage daily news reports that if the state elects to utilize it's own helicopters, the tax payers will foot the $200,000 to $300,000 dollar price tag.

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From KTVA's website: http://www.ktva.com/topstory/ci_5400436
"If Governor Palin steps in to authorize it, she will be using her powers to benefit just a few Alaskans against the will of the majority of Alaskans," said Dorothy Keeler who is against the helo wolf hunt.

Whether they like the program or not, Fish and Game says it's working; more and more moose are surviving the winter. But biostitutes (emphasis added) say the efforts of the last few years will be for nothing if the wolf numbers aren't maintained.

"Let's face it, the death of one animal is a slaughter. This is not hunting, this is not trapping, this is predator control. And there is no way to put a pretty face on it," said Bartley.

"It's a slaughter. It can't be justified by science. It can't be justified by ethics. In fact, the department's own research said it's not the cause of the moose decline and it will do nothing to help, unless it is continued forever and forever, is a long time," said Keeler.

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From Friends of Animals website: http://www.friendsofanimals.org/programs/howl-in/opposing-proposals162-166.php

Alaska's Board of Game has hastily put together new predator control regulations. The Board did this in light of Friends of Animals' pressure in court which resulted in the aerial wolf-killing scheme being held invalid. In short: The wolves won, so now they want to change the rules.

Aerial-wolf killing is not a private matter to be handled by Alaska's officials alone.

Friends of Animals' position is that the aerial killing of wolves violates not only state law, but also federal law. Indeed, our position is that it violates Constitutional law itself. Here are Friends of Animals' comments on the new proposed predator control regulations.

We'll continue to use all legal and public channels to stop this wrong.

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From the Alaska Wildlife Alliance's Website:
http://www.akwildlife.org/issues_campaigns/wolfhunting.php

Wolves are like most other predators they are designed to run a little slower than their prey, or when dealing with truly large adversaries like moose, are designed to be a little weaker than their prey. This means that for the most part wolves have little choice but to focus their attention on the removal of the sick and the weak. The prey species as well as the predators benefit as a result. It has been like that for hundreds of thousands of years.

A second role that wolves share with other large land predators is that of mollifying the peaks and troughs in ungulate numbers so that they are more in balance with the ability of the habitat to sustain them.

During periods of over abundance, or in years when snow depths are so great that ungulates are starving and easy to catch, wolves have a tendency to take more than they need. This accelerates the bringing of prey numbers into line as well as reduces competition for browse among the remaining ungulates. Of that which is killed nothing is wasted. Eagles, ravens, coyotes, foxes, and a host of other species feast on the leftovers. During lean years, such as during winters of light snow fall, prey have more to eat and are better able to get away; consequently, wolves vigorously consume everything they kill leaving behind only the stomach contents and a few large bones.

The "pack" is a hierarchical family unit that responds well to changes. While individuals may die or leave, the pack itself, and the alpha pair or pack leaders in particular, serve as a conduit for passing along knowledge about the environment and what, where and when to hunt. Although only one member of the pack usually bears offspring, all members participate in rearing the young.

Left to their own devices, wolf populations tend to remain relatively stable, adjusting moderately in response to prey numbers, snow depth and other factors. Who lives or dies is focused largely on the young, as with all species, they are the least knowledgeable and most easily replaced.

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What You Can Do:

Urge Gov. Sarah Palin NOT to approve the use of helicopters to kill wolves

Governor Sarah Palin
P.O. Box 110001
Juneau, AK 99811-0001
Tel.: (907) 465-3500
Fax: (907) 465-3532
governor [at] gov.state.ak.us