As informed by Defenders of Wildlife, via an email notification, on Wednesday evening, Governor Butch Otter signed into law the wolf killing bill HB470 – officially giving anti-wolf forces the green light to kill more than 450 wolves in Idaho. This is a setback for those who have been struggling hard to save the wolves from reckless killing sponsored and rewarded by the authorities. Included below is the text of the message from Jamie Rappaport Clark, President of Defenders of Wildlife.
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I am writing with sad news.
Despite heroic efforts by people like you, yesterday, Idaho’s governor signed a virtual death warrant for hundreds of the state’s wolves.
The new law, HB470, establishes a $400,000 special fund, the sole purpose of which is killing as many wolves as possible. It is part of a broader effort by wolf-haters to reduce Idaho’s wolf population down to 150 animals – which means killing more than 450 wolves.
We cannot leave any stone unturned in our fight to protect wolves.
Our legal team is assessing options.
Our field staff is gearing up for the fight of their lives and are mobilizing other residents of Idaho to push back on this terrible proposal.
Here in Washington, D.C., we’re using this as Exhibit A with the Department of the Interior as proof of what we’ve been saying along – when wolves lose protection, they die.
We’re not giving up. Not by a long shot.
Thanks for being there in these tough times.
