Hey, Obama, Don't Be Another Bush for the Wolves

categories: Endangered Species, Hunting, Politics and Law, Wildlife/FreeLiving Animals

Published April 03, 2009 @ 07:57AM PT

Defenders of Wildlife is still pushing hard against Secretary of the Interior Salazar's decision to delist wolves in Idaho and Montana (as well as in the western Great Lakes and parts of Oregon, Washington, and Utah).

When it was the Bush administration disregarding the interests of the wolves in favor of pleasing ranchers and hunters, I called out Bush himself in addition to his hand-selected appointees (e.g., Bush and Bangs vs. the Wolves--Again; Bush Administration and the Wolves: The Battle Continues), and so President Obama now gets the same treatment: You hand-picked Salazar, Mr. President, and you're his boss. Step up. Do the right thing. Prevent the killing.

-More, including Defenders of Wildlife video, after the jump-

From Defenders of Wildlife:

Salazar’s decision is a mistake, and we have to let the Obama Administration know it. To send a strong message, we need to generate at least 100,000 messages in support of protections for our wolves before May 4th, when the federal protections are lifted and the wolf killing can resume.

Last year, when the Bush/Cheney Administration briefly eliminated these vital federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies, more than 100 of the region’s estimated 1,500 wolves were killed in just a couple of short months, until Defenders succeeded in convincing a federal judge to stop the killing.

Now Secretary Salazar has approved the exact proposal for which the Bush Administration was roundly criticized. And he did so with no consultation with wildlife advocates and with no warning of what he was thinking.

This time, unless this latest decision to remove federal protection from wolves is reversed, even more wolves -- as many of two-thirds of the region’s wolf population -- could be killed. The new wolf rule will also eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves that are only now beginning to return to parts of their historic range in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Utah.

The message Defenders of Wildlife refers to is here. Go personalize, sign, and send it. I see now, as I'm writing this, that someone has also added the Defenders of Wildlife alert as an action here at Change.org. You can follow the links there as well. Below is the newest video from the nonprofit, honoring "Limpy," who was killed after Bush lifted protections, and calling on Obama and Salazar to restore wolves' federal protections.

Photo of gray wolf: Joel Sartore, for National Geographic

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Comments (5)

Cime on Mr President, Save the poor wolves from another slaughter! They even want to dynamite and poisen dens of
wolf pups!!

Posted by Allyn Meyer on 04/03/2009 @ 03:20PM PT
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He might as well have appointed Sarah Palin. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Nevertheless, she's the main reason I didn't vote for McCain.

Posted by Sue G. on 04/03/2009 @ 05:03PM PT
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HERE, this just in from DEFENDERS of WILDLIFE:Thanks to the support of people like you, when Alaska Governor Sarah Palin landed in Evansville, Indiana last week, she was greeted by our hard-hitting ads exposing the truth about her brutal aerial gunning program.

In fact, your response to our campaign was so great that we not only ran ads in local newspapers but we were also able to run our TV ads on major broadcast stations in the area.

As Governor Palin tries to raise her national stature, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is making sure people know the awful truth about her anti-wildlife policies through our Eye On Palin campaign.

Sarah Palin is escalating her war on wolves -- aerial gunners have already claimed the lives of more than 240 wolves this season. And Palin’s Board of Game has approved the use of poison gas bombs and deadly snares to kill wolf pups and their families in and around their dens.

With your support, we're not only holding Palin accountable, but we’ve already begun a major push on Capitol Hill to win support for the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act -- important legislation that will close a deadly loophole exploited by the Palin Administration to continue the brutal aerial wolf killing program.

More than 76,000 caring people have written to Governor Palin and thousands of children have sent in hand-colored messages urging her to stop her wolf slaughter from the skies.

The Eye On Palin campaign is in full swing -- and with your help we’ll continue to make sure Governor Palin’s terrible record is exposed for all to see.

Posted by Lee Dorsey on 04/21/2009 @ 11:45AM PT
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Palin is certainly one of the biggest persons against wolves but SHAME on OBAMA IF HE STANDS IDLELY BY AND DOES NOTHING.I realize that there are some very important things on the Presidents agenda but SURELY he could take a few minutes to stop Salazar from signing a death sentance for these wolves every where.

Posted by Carole Drake on 05/04/2009 @ 03:22PM PT
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Ken Salazar should be replaced, he does not reflect the policies that I voted for when I supported Pres. Obama.

President Obama I expected better from you. You are failing to uphold envirionmental issures and protecting our wildlife. We voted for you so you would discontinue the assualt on our wild places and wild animals. Step Up. Please.

Posted by Dianne Flynn on 09/07/2009 @ 12:33PM PT
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Stephanie is an independent animal rights advocate, a vegan, a tree-hugging environmentalist, and a freelance editor and writer. She lives in St. Louis with an aging corgi-lab and an adolescent rescued pit bull.