Greenspace: Gray wolves back on endangered species list

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to environmentalists last week who had challenged the delisting of gray wolves as an endangered species. U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy criticized the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's removal of the known predator from the endangered list, writing in a report that the action "demonstrated a possibility of irreparable harm" to the species. The injunction comes just months before planned fall hunts in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, which have since been canceled.

The original story on Greenspace attracted 24 comments, with some supporting the judge's decision and others declaring the world better off without the wolves.

Jsens3 wrote:

It is ridiculous that the federal government has wasted even one dollar protecting a known vicious predator and that a federal judge has so little to do he squanders time on something like this. Doesn't the judge have anything important to do? I wonder what these folks will do to advance the cause of the brown recluse spider, rattlesnakes cobras, poison ivy, AIDS, dengue fever, river blindness, hookworm, malarial mosquitos, ebola, and other myriad enemies of the human race?

Anonymous wrote:

Errm, it`s a known predator, but that`s why it`s needed. If you do your research you`ll discover that the Yellowstone ecosystem was collapsing because of the absence of wolves. It`s good to keep 'em around.

Jeff Call wrote:

I have lived in Idaho all my life. We don't have the same way of life as you in LA. I have 5 children 2 left at home and have raised them on deer and elk we don't eat beef at our house we prefer the leaner meat. Wolves make that way of life harder. We also have seen government trappers staying in the same motel as us in Challis in 1998 being paid to kill a pack of wolves that was in too much trouble. This has gone on all along but it is not publicly announced. We have used a lot of money on the wolves. Why not let some hunters pay to shoot them instead of us taxpayers paying to have them shot. Also do the math the goal was 300 wolves there are over 1500. Increasing at 24% a year that means in 5 years we would have 4398, 10 years would be 12,893. They have far exceeded their expectations even though silently our government has been killing them from the get go. They do need to be controlled.

What? wrote:

Jeff and Jsens3 - should we allow ALL species that can kill humans to be hunted into extinction? Before you answer that, remember that we humans are our own worst predator. Just because an animal has the ability to kill doesn't mean it is a threat to humanity.

Should gray wolves continue to be protected, or is it survival of the fittest? Howl at us in the comments.

-- Mark Milian

Photo: A gray wolf pup. Credit: Kent Kauden / Associated Press

Comments

[Bears]

It is a well known fact that bears are the leading threat/killer of the human race. I would be happy to see many of them destroyed before they destroy us. Its a shame that we have to be distracted by something as innocuous as gray wolves...and by the way, there are plenty of them in canada and in alaska as well...so what is the big freeking deal...its BEARS that we should worry about killing...and heck, throw in a few wolves too for goodness sake, they have teeth too you know...yes, kill the Bears then the wolves...

[Kathy]

By all means let's put gray wolves on the endangered species list so that they can multiply and eat a few children and pets.

[Justin]

Why not kill dogs as kill wolves? Neither threaten human beings. There are a lot more dog attacks every year than wolf attacks. Of which there aren't *ANY* that weren't rabies-infected. Unlike bears, moose, bats, bugs and other creatures that actually might get near and threaten a human being, wolves stay far far away from people.

[DF]

To Jsens3:
"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. I've realized that you are not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment. But you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague. "

[Tsov Tom]

Where to begin? Humans are a "virus." Talk about "homophobia." Only "rabid" wolves attack people. Ask all the Russians who for centuries have been ravaged by wolves--please read Will N. Graves's "Wolves in Russia" in which he flatly states, and documents, as one reviewer noted, "that wolves are not forest sanitarians, but in fact are predators of the best nature has to offer and are spreaders of disease instead of the controllers of disease (the mythical shibboleth disseminated by wolf protectors and fanciers in this country)." Yeah, there are plenty of knotheaded livestock growers here in Wildoming who believe the only good wolf is a dead wolf, yet there are plenty of others of us who like the idea of the wolf's return, as long there is a scientific program for managing it, the way all other wildlife must be managed in order to insure its continued survival, and good health, in a human-altered landscape. The wolf depends on the kindness of humans, whether you like that idea or not, and keeping it on the Endangered Species List does not enhance the goodwill it desperately requires.

[Ellie]

Wolves have been nearly hunted to extinction. That's wrong! I understand that some of them may pose a small threat to humanity, but big deall there are millions of human in the world, once there was millions of wolves too but thanks to human that number is diminishing everyday. The reason for this is human are scared of wolves because for once there is an animal in the world that we cant control.

[Whitney]

They absolutely should keep them on the endangered species list. Without the wolves, the elk become overpopulated and the ecosystem does begin to collapse. There have been studies on this. The way that the hunters hunt them is also cruel. Stalking wolves for miles from helicopters and then shooting them after hours is despicable. Traps are just as cruel. You can't bring something back once its gone.. remember that you are living in THEIR environment. It is their nature to stalk and kill prey.. wolves are very elusive animals and they are hardly a threat to humans. I will sign any and every petition that helps to save the wolves.

[Anonymous]

The wolves are a huge part in the food chain and in life itself. These creatures are incredible. Those of you that think wolves are only vicious and are very cruel, then go to a library and read about wolves. You'l find out a lot about them and probably understand them. Killing wolves and other animals is wrong, but hunting herbivores that have grown out of control should be hunted. Wolves are trying to help us. Don't destroy the wolves, or else you could destroy the Earth as well.

[Ethan]

Wolves are a big part of nature, and we shouldn't kill them. Some places, people have wolves as pets. but they may be 1/2 or 3/4 wolf and the other part dog. Wolves may have taken food, but they don't know anything because they are just like our dogs but a little fiercer in the wild. Also we already have many cows and farm animals in the country, so 1 is not a big of deal if u look at it in a good way. Wolves should thrive, and shouldn't become extinct like the blue pike, a rare woodpecker, brown arctic spider(or whatever it's called). etc. We've already gotten rid of a few other predators maybe by hunting but also by other stuff like pollutants and harmful things. These are other factors killing our wolves. Deer are maybe a main course for wolves, but there are a lot of deer in the world. Don't worry about the wolves.

[Heather]

I feel so bad for the Wolves, all though I've lived in Maine for most of my life and we don't get them up here. Just Coyotes. That's no reason for me to try and stop this mess of killing them. They aren't the ones that populate most of the states. The rabbits are. The things they eat. If there were no more wolves in the world, who would eat the rabbit?
My mother always told me the story of the rabbits, and that's what I'm using as an example.
One day, God decided to create a rabbit, his name was Sunacan. Sunucan then began to multiply, first he had one child, then that child had two, those children had three each, and so forth.
One day, God told Sunacan that he needed to stop this madness or the rabbits would populate the earth. So God decided to make different looking rabbits with sharp claws and teeth, different sizes and shapes. One of them could even fly!
These rabbits became the Weasel, the Hawk, and the Wolf.
Do you get what I'm saying?

[Leavethemalone]

Hey I agree that wolves are dangerous but hey isn't the entire human race. hey wolves kill deer sure, they might even kill some people but hey should we destroy an entire species because of a few animals. we would be sinking down to there level if we destroy the entire population. sorry to go all biblical on you but god made them for a reason if you believe in evolution and you have a dog you have a decedent of wolves would you have your pets destroyed considering that they are technically considered part wolf. i my self have dogs and i would be devastated if they were killed because one of there breed kill some one. so think why would you kill all wolves if you would be killing a entire species. back in history people had wolves for pets, sled pulling wolves, and guard wolves. sure they kill people but they had a purpose in the world. They still have a purpose we are just invading there home and land. This is all I have to say to you.

[Billy Bob]

We should just give the wolves some reservations, they can put up big casinos there. That's what we do with anything that poses a threat to us and occupies our land. God bless America!

[Kimberly]

I am doing a project on Gray Wolves can anyone help me out

[ashley]

i love wolves!! they are so adorable...

[RayRay]

They may be a predator but they are need in this world! If they disappear than the elk and caribou will over populatate and the more grass will be eaten. Than evadually there would be no more grass so the elk and cariou will disappear and so on and so on.