:-( :-( :-(

[MoonRiver]

Obama adm. proposes lifting all protections for gray wolves in the lower 48.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/apnewsbreak-government-plan-would-end-gray-wolf-protections-across-most-of-lower-48/2013/06/07/c49ebdbe-cf85-11e2-8573-3baeea6a2647_story.html

[In_The_Wind]

1. Damn!

[femmocrat]

2. Wolf lovers everywhere are in mourning.

Of course, gun-happy "morans" like Palin are probably rejoicing.

[Nye Bevan]

3. What's the problem, if they are not endangered?

Why should wolves be protected if deer are not?

[BainsBane]

14. Because they were endangered

and they were endangered because ranchers believe them to be predators, and people have irrational fears of wolves. Lift the restrictions, and they will soon be endangered again. Plus, no one eats wolf. What the fuck are they doing hunting for them?

[Nye Bevan]

17. Do people eat squirrel? If not, why do they hunt them?

I am not a hunter, have never owned a gun and never will, and do not see the appeal of hunting at all. But given that hunting has been deemed to be acceptable and is not going to be banned any time soon, I do not see the problem with hunters shooting pests that are not endangered. I would assume that if it looks like their numbers are dropping and there is a possibility that they could be come endangered, the rule would change again.

[BainsBane]

18. People do eat squirrel

Especially in the South, in states like Arkansas

Wolves are not pests.

[truebluegreen]

20. "The rule would change again."

Last edited Sat Jun 8, 2013, 05:40 PM - Edit history (1)

Not likely, since it is a political hot potato in the northern and western states where wolves exist.

Furthermore, wolves are not pests, but rather an important part of a balanced ecosystem. Before wolves were re-introduced in Yellowstone in the 90s, the park was in bad shape. The system was way out of balance with an overabundance of elk--unhealthy, and overtaxing the available range--and coyotes. After re-introduction, the coyote population plummeted, leading to a rebound of all the smaller predators, and the elk herd was culled to a smaller and healthier size, and the range itself flourished (before anyone points out that human culling could have had some of the same effects, remember that humans hunt the strongest, and wolves the weakest specimens).

Outside the park(s) the benefits can be the same. Do you know why coyotes have extended their range to all of the continental states? Or why they have become so aggressive? Historically that wasn't their range or their nature, but we wiped out the larger, faster, stronger version, that was also shyer of humans...we bred the coyote problem.

And it was largely unnecessary. I can't remember when--maybe in the 30s?--the US government started paying ranchers for predator losses. Suddenly every loss was due to predators, not to weather, or birthing problems, or anything else. Which you know is laughable if you have ever spent any time in the Rockies in the spring. But by now generations have lived with the idea that every dead calf or lamb or whatever was killed by a predator, and so all of them are "pests."

[pengillian101]

32. Of course some folks eat squirrel, it's delicious.

Yum! I used to hunt and eat gray squirrels when living in NW Wisconsin. Very good in a sour cream sauce!

http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir9.html

[femmocrat]

33. The article states that there are 6100 wolves.

Not sure if that is accurate, but if they are killing 1600 of them in two years, how long until they become endangered again?

There are millions of deer. People justify killing deer for food. No one eats wolves.

[kenny blankenship]

4. As well as being the Constitutional Scholar President, he's also the Environmental President!

"All of the above!" he said.

[CountAllVotes]

8. How very sickening

Shame shame shame shame shame!!!

& recommend!!

[truebluegreen]

21. As good at one as the other!

[greytdemocrat]

5. VERY surprised at this...nt

[wandy]

6. I would hope that state game and wildlife commissions will regulate this.............

It is done for deer, turkeys and such. Their are fishing limits.
I don't want wolves to become extinct, but I really don't one in my back yard either.

[life long demo]

9. That's all very nice but it isn't the real world

Where ever the wolf was removed from ESA, they have been savaged. Hunting, trapping, poisoning, denning, snared, aerial hunted, let's see, have I forgotten anything, how about setting dogs on wolves (and coyotes) caught in leg hold traps. It's bloodlust. And I am so angry, can you tell?

[wandy]

16. Sorry, sometimes I forget about that real world thing. Or just don't catch more than the limit.

[truebluegreen]

22. I'd rather have a wolf in my backyard than a coyote.

Among other things, given the nature of the beasts, the first is much less likely.

[wandy]

25. Or a skunk for that matter. Long unplesant story about live trapping a skunk. NO TEXT

[truebluegreen]

26. +1000!

Had a dog that was an eternal optimist about skunks...<sigh>...even before that had a skunk stroll into the house through a cat door to the screen porch and an open inner door on a hot night. Heard a noise and went downstairs and came face to face with it as it trundled toward the exit. Fortunately backed off and out of the way before it felt threatened. That was the end of the cat door though.

The worst "pests" are the ones who have no fear or wariness of people.

[wandy]

28. Ok, text........

Other than spiders I prefer to put errant (errant in my opinion) critters back in the wild. For mice indoors live trapping worked well. Toss them in the truck and let them out in a field on the way to work. No doubt they made it home before I did.
Had a little problem with Raccoons. Hay bigger live trap.
Know what? Raccoons don't have that white strip runs down the middle of their backs.
OK, now what.
This is when you find out who you're friends are.
This is when you find out that even if you discharge them from a safe distance they come back to near full power right quick.
This is when you find out the a wet skunk is even worse to deal with.
Some how we got to thinking that beer would help.
By about the time we figured we had gotten the skunk drunk, well...
Well, you see, we just weren't worrying about it all that too very much any more.
One of those, 'you would have had to have been there'.

[truebluegreen]

29. A drunk skunk?!?

[MoonRiver]

23. And that is the issue.

As an example, when my husband and I visited Scotland a few years ago, our tour guide proudly pointed out the spot where the last wolf in the country was killed. He even knew the date it happened! It's all about raising livestock. In Scotland all the trees were also cut down to accommodate the sheep. Total insanity!

[Skittles]

7. cue the cowards to start lining up with their guns

[BainsBane]

11. That's already begun

My state had wolf hunting for the first time in a long time last year. Others have done the same.

[Skittles]

13. like I said

the cowards will come out in force at the very idea they can slaughter anything

[BainsBane]

15. for example

[BainsBane]

10. WTF?

It's great the population has recovered, but this would put it back near extinction fast.

[JaneyVee]

12. NO, I LOVE gray wolves! :(

[Auntie Bush]

27. I love wolves too and this news makes me very upset.

All those gun lovers/killers are going to party tonight at the joy of killing wolves/anything!

[MoonRiver]

31. Yep, anything that moves and looks vulnerable.

[bvar22]

19. Protects the vicious, destructive predators on Wall Street,

...but removes protection from the ones that actually provide a useful service to The World.



Ignorance IS Strength
Freedom IS Slavery
It was all Joe Lieberman's fault
the Giant Invisible Hand will Protect Us


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their promises or excuses.

[MoonRiver]

24. Amen!

[Liberal_in_LA]

30. kick