Biden Administration Defends Wildlife Services' Killing of Eight Wolf Pups in Idaho

[douglas9]

The Biden administration has defended the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services’ actions in Idaho after the agency preemptively killed eight wolf pups from Idaho’s Timberline pack in response to complaints from a rancher grazing livestock on public lands.

“Killing these wolf pups was inhumane, unscientific, and indefensible,” said Joe Bushyhead with WildEarth Guardians. “Wolves face enough persecution in Idaho already at the hands of the state. The Biden administration should not be using federal resources to make a bad situation even worse.”

“We are shocked that the Biden administration condones the slaughter of weeks-old wolf pups on public lands at the behest of private livestock interests,” said Talasi Brooks of Western Watersheds Project. “Wolves–especially wolf pups–pose no significant threat to livestock.”

Conservation groups learned that Wildlife Services started pursuing the pack in May when an agent killed the first three pups at the densite. The agency killed five more pups over the next two months. Conservation groups urged USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to stop Wildlife Services from slaughtering weeks-old wolves on public lands. In yesterday’s letter, Secretary Vilsack rejected the request, responding that killing wolf pups is a “humane management option.”


https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/10/06/biden-administration-defends-wildlife-services-killing-of-eight-wolf-pups-in-idaho/

[Phoenix61]

1. I'm so over ranchers dictating what happens on

public land. That is a pittance for grazing rights. Way past time to put a stop to this practice. They want a wolf free area they can buy land, put a fence around it, and monitor it all they want. Increasing beef prices would be good for the environment and people as demand would drop. Seems like a win-win all the way around.

[Duppers]

2. Perhaps they want free grazing land w/o

even buying it.

And nothing has a right to exist on the land but their cattle. They are basically selfish assholes.

[2naSalit]

6. That is exactly it.

And the half cattle rancher legislative bodies in this region are hell bent on it. The drought was a blessing for their cause because cattle were allowed to graze outside their allotments on protected lands under emergency decree. And they didn't have to pay for it, not that grazing fees amount to anything in the first place.

Stop eating beef, it's killing the biosphere along with giving you health problems.

[Phoenix61]

11. I haven't eaten beef or pork in over 35 years.

Way back when there were protests against McDonalds for buying beef from cattle that was raised on deforested rain forest. I decided them to do my part to help the planet.

[jimfields33]

8. I think they should let people adopt them

Let them live in home where they have land and live out their lives. Why doesn’t anyone ever suggest this? It’s the perfect solution.

[Duppers]

3. 😡

Fvck Vilsack.
Very disappointed in Biden for this.

Thanks for this post douglas9.

[2naSalit]

5. I knew he was going to return to...

This practice and I was really disappointed in him for nominating that guy.

[2naSalit]

4. Cattle on the landscape in this region has never been...

A profitable venture without taxpayers subsidizing them to the hilt. And that's before getting into the environmental costs of their presence here, and the political support for this untenable set is a massive example of inappropriate liaison between private interests and political power..

We paid to have all the Indigenous people out of here, eradication of wolves, bears and any other predators all to make cattle production viable.

In consideration of the environmental problems one must first realize that the edible vegetation out here is sparse compared to that in the eastern 2/3 of the country as is food needed by the wildlife, deer, elk other ungulates.

The questions one need ask when comparing cattle grazing in the west and cattle grazing east of the Rocky Mountains are:

In the East; How many cow/calf pairs can I put on one acre of land?

In the West; How many acres of land do I need for each cow/calf pair?

It's a battle that has gone on for 120 years, needs to over. Grazing on public land in the west is exacerbating the climate change problem and will cause water shortages for 2/3 of the continental US in a rather short time. That and now out of control tourism, land development, extractive industries.

Those are major concerns along with green power generation and all the other issues that are starting to get notice these days.

[underpants]

10. Excellent post. Thanks. N/t

[2naSalit]

7. This shit makes me want to scream.

And is much of the reason I have to move to another part of the country soon. I just have to leave.

[Ferrets are Cool]

9. Forum rules dictate that I cannot express how I REALLY feel.

[SharonClark]

12. How many taxpayer dollas were spent tracking down a family of PUPPIES?

So a rancher on public land could profit?

[VGNonly]

13. Humane management option...

How can you humanely kill an animal that doesn't want to be dead?