Breaking News: Terrible News for Wolves

Breaking News: Terrible News for Wolves

The response to our request for help over the weekend was tremendous, with more than 3,300 caring people contributing to our Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Wolf Legal Defense Fund.

Our lawyers are already preparing to go to court to save the nearly 1,000 wolves that could die as a result of Friday's decision by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to eliminate vital protections for wolves in Idaho and Montana, and we're already mobilizing wolf supporters on the ground. Unfortunately, we're still short of our goal.

Please make a tax-deductible contribution today to Defenders of Wildlife's Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Wolf Legal Defense Fund to help us win in court and save the lives of these wolves.

Nearly 1,000 Wolves Could be Killed

Last year, more than 100 wolves were killed in the opening days of wolf delisting in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region before our legal efforts won the day.


Now, the Obama Administration embraced the deadly Bush-era delisting plan, and another round of wolf killing could begin in just weeks.

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Please donate now to support our Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Wolf Legal Defense Fund so we can win again for our wolves. [link to action.defenders.org]


World famous "Limpy" was one of the first wolves killed when federal protections were temporarily eliminated last year.


Please forward this message on to others who care about our wolves and other wildlife.


I have some terrible news. Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that he would follow the discredited path of the Bush Administration and delist wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region.

This is a stunning development, just six weeks into the Obama Administration. This delisting paves the way for almost 1000 wolves to be killed under deadly state management plans in Idaho and Montana.

The killing could begin in just weeks.

As I write this, we are already preparing an emergency legal challenge to this harmful proposal -- and we’ll be in court as quickly as possible. But we need your help for the legal fight ahead.

Please make an emergency donation now to support our Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Wolf Legal Defense Fund.

This delisting will put the fate of our wolves in the hands of state governments that want to slaughter nearly 1,000 wolves. Last year, when federal wolf protections were temporarily lifted in the region, more than 100 wolves were killed in just a short time -- including the world renowned “Limpy.”

In addition, regular wolf hunting seasons could begin as early as this fall in Idaho and Montana -- and Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter said again today that he still wants the first available hunting tag to shoot a wolf himself.

We can’t allow the out-of-control killing of wolves to happen again.

For more than 35 years, Defenders of Wildlife has fought for our wolves. We were there when the first wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and we’ve been there to defend them ever since. We’ve beaten back efforts to prematurely delist these wolves in the past, and I'm confident we can do so again.

Just this week, we celebrated a hard-fought victory made possible with your help as the Senate voted to overturn the Bush Administration's last-minute gutting of the Endangered Species Act. We now need to beat back another deadly Bush-era plan that will open the door to the slaughter of nearly 1,000 wolves.

Together, we can win our legal challenge of the same bad plan originally put forth in the last throes of the Bush Administration -- and ensure that our wolves will continue to be around for future generations.


Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife



P.S. Your donation through our secure website will ensure that your contribution will be put to immediate work. You can also donate by calling 1-800-385-9712.

[link to action.defenders.org]