Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 06:31:36 -0600 (CST)
From: NRDC - Frances Beinecke biogemsdefenders@savebiogems.org
Subject: War on Wolves Gets Uglier
Organization: NRDC


 
 
 
Send a Wolf-Saving Message to Call off the Guns!
 

Powerful adversaries have lined up against the wolves of the Northern Rockies. Speak out and show the Interior Secretary that you care about wolves! 

 
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Dear --,

The war on wolves is getting uglier by the day.

It's tragic enough that a record 402 wolves were killed last year in Idaho and Montana after their removal from the endangered species list -- an astronomical level that amounts to one-third of the entire wolf population in those two states.

But what saddens me almost as much are the barbaric tactics that wolf-haters have been employing lately.

For example, on Christmas Eve, Idaho wolf supporter Lynne Stone received a threatening email from a wolf hater there. The email only said "Merry Cristmas" (spelled without the "h") and included a morbid photo of a bloodied dead wolf in the back of a pickup truck.

This disturbing photo and sinister email remind us of what wolves and their supporters are up against -- and why we need you to speak out now against the savage slaughter of wolves.

Even if you've recently signed other wolf petitions, please sign our new message to Interior Secretary Salazar because it's only getting worse for wolves.

Here are a few shocking examples of how ugly the situation has become:

Just a few weeks ago, a Wolf/Coyote/Predator Killing Derby was held in Idaho, where prizes were given away for shooting the most animals. Participants were told in advance they'd be able to use "wolf distress calls" to attract nearby wolves to the rifle range.

Outraged by this blatant example of animal cruelty? Take action now and sign our new Citizen's Petition.

And as we showed you a while back, a sickening sign outside an Idaho restaurant proclaimed, "Tag a Wolf. Get a Free Pizza and Pitcher of Beer."

Angry that wolf-killing is being promoted in such a cavalier way? Fire off a wolf-saving email petition now to demand federal protections for wolves.

Many wolf packs have been decimated. A majority of Idaho's Basin Butte pack, a favorite of wolf-watchers, was wiped out, seven of them by government agents firing from a helicopter or airplane. The remaining members of Montana's Sage Creek pack were also killed by aerial gunners. Four of the 10 wolves in Yellowstone Park's much-studied Cottonwood Creek pack were killed when they ventured out of the park's boundaries. And government agents have recently been authorized to destroy several packs in Montana.

This disastrous open season on wolves has reversed so much of our hard-won progress over the past several years. Tell Interior Secretary Salazar to put wolves back on the endangered species list where they belong.

Over the next critical months, NRDC will be facing off in federal court against Interior Secretary Salazar over the fate of the wolf.

But legal action is just one important tactic. Public action is another. That's why we're urging you to show the Interior Secretary that you care about wolves.

Powerful government agencies and a vocal minority of hunters and ranchers have lined up against the wolves of the Northern Rockies. But the wolves have you. It's urgent that you stand with us now.

Sincerely,
 
Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council


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