Idaho For Wildlife, an anti-predator organization, has organized a wolf and coyote killing contest on December 28 and 29 near Salmon, Idaho.  The killing "derby" is scheduled on the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Endangered Species Act, our nation's safety-net for wildlife, that brought wolves back from the brink of extinction. Hunt participants, in teams of two, will pursue wolves and coyotes as part of a competition for prizes, including cash awards, for the largest wolf, most female coyotes, and other categories. Even children, as young as 10 can participate in the kill fest. 

The contest hunt will cover public and private (with permission) lands which will include lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.  Both federal agencies have regulations and policies that prohibit such commercial, competitive events without special recreation or use permits, but both agencies are allowing the Idaho contest participants to hunt on their lands without complying with federal law.

The USFS, which initially admitted that this event would require a special use permit, is now claiming that no permit is required.  The BLM, which admits that a special recreation permit is required, is expediting issuance of the permit without complying with federal environmental laws.  If these agencies followed their own laws and policies, coyotes and wolves will be spared, and the killing contest will be crippled. 

Wildlife killing contest are ethically indefensible events allowing participants to kill wildlife to win prizes.  They are biologically and ecologically reckless, not only harming individual animals, but also altering predator-prey dynamics, disrupting the social dynamics of predatory species, and increasing threats to public safety, all for fun and prizes.  They have no beneficial management purpose but, rather, promote gratuitous violence against wildlife.  They demean the immense ecological and economic value of predators in an ecosystem while teaching children to hate and trivialize the lives of predators.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Your urgent action is essential to pressure the USFS and BLM to reverse course and prohibit contest participants from killing wolves and coyotes on federal lands.  Please click on the TAKE ACTION link, fill out the required information, and then click on SUBMIT. When you sign this petition, the petition letter below will be emailed to the USFS and BLM decision makers listed.  Demand they stop facilitating these killing contests and, instead, comply with their own rules and policies.

Thank you for your immediate action to help Idaho’s wolves and coyotes from being living targets.  Please share this alert with your relatives, friends and associates.