Washington state plans to shoot two more wolves

Washington state plans to shoot two more wolves

It’s happening again: Washington state has officially authorized the killing of two more of its endangered wolves.1

 

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The Togo wolf pack needs our help.

Washington state won’t leave the Togo wolf family alone. In 2019, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) tried to eliminate the Togo pack completely by shooting the last two remaining wolves.2

Wolves deserve the chance to recover in Washington state — not be shot to death by the officials that are supposed to be in charge of protecting them.

Wolves deserve the chance to recover in Washington state.

If Washington succeeds in eliminating the Togo wolf pack, it won’t be the first time they’ve obliterated an entire pack of wolves. In 2016, state officials killed the very last member of the Profanity Peak pack.3

The state is notoriously trigger-happy when it comes to wolves: In the winter of 2018, Washington had kill orders out on three wolf packs at once.4

This simply isn’t sustainable. Wolf recovery is still uncertain in Washington. Once hunted to extinction in the state, wolves only began to slowly return in 2008.5 We need to speak up to give Washington’s wolves the chance to recover and thrive.

Take action to save wolves.

Killing wolves to protect cows isn’t just cruel — it also simply doesn’t work. Research shows that killing wolves can increase the risk that wolves will attack livestock in the future.6

And right now is a critical time for states to protect the wolves within their borders, not destroy them. Federal protection for wolves could vanish any day. If wolves across the nation lose federal protection, it will be more important than ever for states to be responsible stewards of the wolves that roam within their borders.

We have the chance to speak up for more responsible wolf management in Washington right now. It’s a matter of life and death for the Togo pack wolves, and so many others within Washington’s borders.

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  1. “WDFW Director reauthorizes lethal action in Togo wolf pack territory,” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, June 19, 2020.
  2. “WDFW Director reauthorizes lethal action in Togo wolf pack,” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, August 19, 2019.
  3. Lynda V. Mapes, “Profanity Peak wolf pack in state’s gun sights after rancher turns out cattle on den,” The Seattle Times, August 25, 2016.
  4. Eli Francovich, “Washington wildlife officials order killing of members of two more wolf packs,” The Spokesman-Review, November 8, 2018.
  5. “Wolf packs in Washington,” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, last accessed July 1, 2020.
  6. Warren Cornwall, “Why Killing Wolves Might Not Save Livestock,” National Geographic, December 3, 2014.