Comments on: Famous wolf briefly strays from Yellowstone and is shot

By: fontgoddess

fontgoddess — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:34:00 +0000

That’s been my argument. If people want to remove the “they’re eating my livestock argument” then they should make it much, much easier for ranchers to get compensated for wildlife kills. Hell, throw in bear kills for free if you don’t want the argument “was it a bear or was it a wolf.” This doesn’t even have to be a government program—the non-profits who want all these wolves should do it themselves.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 02:25:00 +0000

Or soup. Everything can also boil down to soup. Or possibly a nice sauce.

By: sdmikev

sdmikev — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 01:35:00 +0000

Unfortunately, yes.

By: endrest

endrest — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:57:00 +0000

I had a discussion with some vegans (I’m not vegan, though) about how any kind of farming will displace habitat and still kill animals, here and there.

By: endrest

endrest — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:52:00 +0000

I think @boingboing-2f150366fa9e59d5b4e3d1071d395264:disqus understands completely –as I do, too. I understand that you will need to kill a predator if it’s killing your farm animals, whether it’s a fox or a wolf. I understand hunting animals for sport, but only if you’re going to eat them. I do not understand people who poach. Period. Torturing animals is just as disgusting as torturing anything.

By: Sylvia

Sylvia — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:45:00 +0000

That exists?? Sigh.

By: Sylvia

Sylvia — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:43:00 +0000

In wildlife management and ecology for endangered species, yes, it does.

By: endrest

endrest — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:37:00 +0000

When didn’t it?

By: miasm

miasm — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:03:00 +0000

It’s funny. Because I like to listen to Steppenwolf whilst I’m killing pigs with chainsaws.

By: MertvayaRuka

MertvayaRuka — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:00:00 +0000

“The people who live out there don’t see things quite the same as city folk do.. they respect wildlife, but not in the same way. If they get too close to home and become a nuisance, the guns will be coming off the wall.”

Yeah, sorry, the dozens of rotting carcasses of wildlife poached or killed just for fun that I used to encounter when living in such an area make a convincing argument against that folksy bullshit.

By: Navin_Johnson

Navin_Johnson — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 21:44:00 +0000

They actually can be compensated for killed livestock, but apparently (according to the science article) the claims can be difficult to prove. They should make it easier and give these ranchers less of a leg to stand on.

By: travtastic

travtastic — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 21:16:00 +0000

But how will I teach my son to be a maaaaannn???

By: doggo

doggo — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 21:11:00 +0000

doggo
Killing wolves ’cause they have the nerve to to eat, makes me hate humans. Ranchers should think of it as the cost of doing business.

doggo
Business is so twisted. “Wolves are cuttin’ into my profit margin. Kill ‘em!” Fucking Capitalism. Always about the short-term profits.

Fishbooom
@doggo – It actually has nothing to do with profit. They want to kill wolves because they think its a basic human right to kill stuff.

doggo
@Fishbooom Are you sure? ‘Cause that’s a pretty evil point of view. More evil than profit motive… maybe.

Fishbooom
@doggo – No that’s it. Government already pays ranchers for all wolf damage – they aren’t out a dime.

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:56:00 +0000

Well these articles should answer some of your questions. It appears the Yellowstone wolves are being targeted in Montana’s Wolf Management Units, so it appears no livestock is yet involved in the equation:

“It is now estimated that 10 Yellowstone wolves — including seven with research collars and three from the famous Mollies, Blacktail Plateau and Lamar Canyon packs — have been shot by hunters in November 2012.”
http://greateryellowstone.org/issues/wildlife/Feature.php?id=38

Shooting of collared wolves impacts research
Game managers may make changes in hunting season for next year
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/shooting-of-collared-wolves-impacts-research/article_bd98ebae-c681-11de-806f-001cc4c03286.html

First instance of collared Yellowstone wolf being illegally killed
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2011/12/11/first-instance-of-collared-yellowstone-wolf-being-illegally-killed/

By: freds4hb

freds4hb — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:45:00 +0000

Jason, could you email me fred at autosportlabs com I’ve got a great article to do (you know, for the save on the whole title thing?) Plus,, it’s an open source cool thing!

By: Jonathan Badger

Jonathan Badger — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:41:00 +0000

The problem is everybody uses that argument as valid when it agrees with *their* opinion. For example, the people who think that the government shouldn’t interfere with the narcotic trade say to their opponents “well, if you don’t want to use pot or heroin, then don’t; it doesn’t affect you then”. The problem is that both hunting and drug use affect more than just the hunter or user.

By: Sheri L. Williamson

Sheri L. Williamson — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:17:00 +0000

Think about it: A satellite-collared wolf, part of a controversial reintroduced population, is shot on the edge of Yellowstone National Park. There’s a good chance the intent was at least partly political.

By: coiled embrace

coiled embrace — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:39:00 +0000

That mindset is really, really easy to understand.

By: coiled embrace

coiled embrace — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:38:00 +0000

Everything boils down to numbers, doesn’t it?

By: CSBD

CSBD — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:38:00 +0000

Cows/livestock are not that expensive let the wolves be and compensate the ”farmers” who are probably using public land. Make them buy livestock insurance from the feds or just buy them new cows. We spend much more rebuilding rich peoples 2nd, 3rd 4th etc. beach front homes time and time again after they get taken out by storms.

By: eldritch

eldritch — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:34:00 +0000

My opinion on hunting – outlaw everything other than knives. We’ll see how many hunters go after dangerous game then.

By: donovan acree

donovan acree — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:30:00 +0000

I can’t seem to find anything indicating this wolf was killed for sport or fun. The discussion is interesting enough, but it may not apply here.

Shooting a wolf to protect livestock, property, or family is not sport hunting.

On Monday, the Montana Fish and Wildlife commissioner put a ban on hunting and trapping wolf near Yellowstone so we should see less of this take place. Of course, if you have a ranch near Yellowstone, you are probably still going to shoot any wolves you see on your property.

By: eldritch

eldritch — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:29:00 +0000

You want sport? Give the wildlife firearms.

Doesn’t the second amendment gives us the right to arm bears? :P

By: eldritch

eldritch — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:26:00 +0000

Not really. Assassination implies political or clandestine intent. If a famous person gets shot during a mugging, it’s murder, not assassination. If they get hit by a car it’s manslaughter.

The more important consideration is that animals are not legally “people”. Which is curious, given that non-sentient abtract organizational constructs such as corporations are.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:44:00 +0000

Solution to livestock concerns: reintroduce Mammoths, thus providing the wolves with a more robust food supply.

By: William K Walker

William K Walker — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:12:00 +0000

Not mentioned in this post is that Montana, at least, reacted fairly quickly to complaints of losing too many research animals. They’ve already stopped wolf hunting in the area close to Yellowstone Park.

See, for example, http://www.gravel.org/2012/12/10/montana-shuts-down-wolf-hunting-trapping-near-yellowstone/

By: IronEdithKidd

IronEdithKidd — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:59:00 +0000

Hit “like” again to unlike.

By: Felton / Moderator

Felton / Moderator — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:59:00 +0000

And sheep-seeking missiles.

By: CSBD

CSBD — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:54:00 +0000

Well done… I was going to do a find/replace with child rape (it is legal if you are FLDS or ordained in the catholic church) but you beat me to making the point about judging.

By: hugh crawford

hugh crawford — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:43:00 +0000

Clicked the like button by accident, so one of those is bogus.
Hunting for food is one thing but why sign up to shoot wolves?

So if the hunters don’t understand why there should be wolves that means they can sign up to shoot them, where can the rest of us sign up to shoot hunters?

I mean it would take too much thought to judge the pathetic psychopaths who do this, so just shoot them.