By Phyllis Elliott North of Montana
Last week’s article on the aerial gunning of wolves in Alaska (“Wolf control abruptly halted,” April 5, page 11) omitted the fact that Alaska voters have voted twice to ban the practice, in which hunters in helicopters or small planes run the wolf to exhaustion, land and shoot the helpless animal, and have collected 57,000 signatures to put the issue on the ballot in 2008 for a third time since the Department of Game restored it.
A similar threat exists in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, where wolves were only recently reintroduced after being eradicated in the early 20th century, and hunters are lobbying to remove protection.
A lawsuit filed by a consortium of conservation organizations in Alaska and nationwide asserts the practice is based on questionable science. Of course, the lady whose dog was killed has my sympathy and, I’m sure, that of your readers. However, as regards the effect on elk populations, the experience in Wyoming is that habitat is much improved when natural predators are present. And as regards ranchers, Defenders of Wildlife and others provide compensation for any livestock lost to wolves.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 10, 2007. Read the original PDF.