The final step in taking away Endangered Species Act protection from most gray wolves in the lower 48 is now "imminent."
That's the word this week from the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who said the agency is trying to end protections by the end of the year. Once that happens, trophy hunts can get under way.
It's an outrageous betrayal of the decades of work that have gone into saving these wolves. We can’t let that stand.
When the proposal was first announced last year, wolf activists responded with force: Nearly 2 million comments were submitted in support of these fierce, loyal creatures. Protests and rallies were held nationwide.
But the public's call to keep wolves safe in the wild is about to be thrown in the trash, all so wolf management can be turned over to the states.
We know what will happen to wolves next. States like Minnesota and Wisconsin will allow trophy hunters and trappers to decimate recovering wolf populations.
We're already fighting for wolves wherever they are in danger. Whether it's in wildlife refuges and preserves in Alaska, or in Washington state where packs continue to be decimated, we're on the ground and in the courts to keep wolves safe.
Please support the fight with a gift to the Wolf Defense Fund.