Take action to save Washington wolves
Washington wolves need our help right now. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) just killed four members of the Old Profanity Territory wolf pack, leaving only one wolf alive.1
Washington wolves are dying.
A judge has blocked the killing of the last Old Profanity Territory wolf for now, but this isn’t the only pack with a current kill order out on it.2
In 2016, Washington state officials killed the last member of the Profanity Peak wolf pack. Today, the Old Profanity Territory pack carries on that family’s legacy in the same territory — but they won’t last for long if the killing continues.
We need to tell the director of WDFW that wolf killing is not the right way to manage this endangered species.
Wolves need our protection.
If Washington state goes through with all of its current kill orders, it will have eliminated up to 8 percent of its wolves in just one year.3
Wolves were once eliminated from Washington entirely. It was just in 2008 that wolves were finally recorded making a return.4
But ever since wolves have begun to return to their rightful habitat in Washington, the state has started targeting them again. Last winter, Washington had kill orders out for three of its wolf packs at once.5
Wolf packs are very similar to human families. They live in closely-bonded groups, usually comprised of two adults and their offspring.6 That means losing any member puts the entire pack in jeopardy. If Washington wolves are to survive and thrive, the killing must stop.
We can save wolves in Washington and across the nation.
Right now, it’s more important than ever for states to cherish and protect their vulnerable wolves. The Interior Department is currently weighing the decision to remove federal protection for gray wolves across the entirety of the Lower 48 states.7
We’re still working hard to make sure wolves keep strong federal protections. But 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 state right now.
1. Eilis O’Neill, “Four wolves killed by Washington state agents — hours before court hearing to protect them,” KUOW Newsroom, August 17, 2019.
2. “Judge blocks killing of surviving wolf pack member in Washington,” KOMO News, August 17, 2019.
3. Eilis O’Neill, “Four wolves killed by Washington state agents — hours before court hearing to protect them,” KUOW Newsroom, August 17, 2019.
4. “Wolf packs in Washington,” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, last accessed August 6, 2019.
5. Eli Francovich, “Washington wildlife officials order killing of members of two more wolf packs,” The Spokesman-Review, November 8, 2018.
6. Tanya Dewey and Julia Smith, “Canis lupus,” Animal Diversity Web, last accessed August 6, 2019.
7. Jim Robbins, “Gray Wolves May Lose Endangered Status and Protections,” The New York Times, March 6, 2019.