1 in 5 Yellowstone wolves killed in first months of Montana hunting season
In just the first months of Montana’s hunting season, hunters killed nearly 1 in 5 of Yellowstone’s wolves.1
Yellowstone’s wolves are in danger.
Three-quarters of those deaths occurred after wolves crossed the park’s boundary in Montana. Those deaths wouldn’t have occurred without recent changes in Montana law making it much, much easier to kill wolves.
This situation is unsustainable, and if nothing changes our wolves could disappear for good. We have to take a stand before that happens.
Devastating hunts started as early as October.
For some, the hunting started as early as October.
That was when some members of Yellowstone’s Phantom Lake pack were first killed. By January, park officials declared the entire pack eliminated, and more than a dozen more wolves had also been killed.2
In total, 20 Yellowstone wolves have been killed — more than have been killed in a single hunting season since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in the mid-1990s.3
This tragedy poses a serious threat to Yellowstone’s iconic wolves. One park manager called the killings “a significant setback for the species’ long-term viability.”4
Most of these deaths took place in Montana. Last year, Montana Gov. Gianforte illegally trapped and killed a Yellowstone wolf that had wandered from the park, breaking his own state’s regulations.5
Our country’s most famous wolves deserve — and need — more.
Take action to save Yellowstone wolves from hunting.
Montana’s governor has the power to change things and protect his state’s — and the greater Yellowstone area’s — wolves.
With the state’s wolves dying in drastic numbers — and with the hunt slated to continue through March 15 — Gov. Gianforte has the opportunity to stop the killing. A strong word from the governor could direct the state toward a future that is friendlier to the wolves and ecosystems that rely on them.
But we need to stand together to get the governor to act. Join us in calling on Gov. Gianforte to stop the wolf hunt.
- Bethany Dawson, “Hunters kill almost 20% of Yellowstone’s gray wolves, with months still to go in the hunting season,” Insider, January 8, 2022.
- “Record number of Yellowstone wolves shot after roaming outside park,” The Guardian, January 7, 2022.
- “Record number of Yellowstone wolves shot after roaming outside park,” The Guardian, January 7, 2022.
- “Record number of Yellowstone wolves shot after roaming outside park,” The Guardian, January 7, 2022.
- “Record number of Yellowstone wolves shot after roaming outside park,” The Guardian, January 7, 2022.