In the battle over wolves and other animals in the American West, we must chart a new way forward…
“One of the great dreams of man must be to find some place between the extremes of nature and civilization where it is possible to live without regret.”
-Barry Lopez
We live in a time of profit management of wildlife in the once-wild West. Several fish and game agencies have deserted the guiding principle of stewardship for fish, wildlife and our quality of life. Instead, steered by legislatures, they have made it their mission to eradicate predators and make money from them at the same time to placate ranchers, to provide he-man killing opportunities and to provide plenty of trophy elk and deer for profiteering outfitters.
As wolves recover from annihilation a century ago, several states are targeting this social, intelligent, self-regulating species for a new round of persecution and extirpation. In Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) just signed laws that will expand trapping season, the snaring of wolves, the hunting of them at night with artificial light, and will grant one license that lets the bearer trap as many wolves as possible – with bounties. Now, wolves are the new trophy, a real profit-maker. Outfitters can trap wolves with bait and call clients to come and shoot the animals for a fee – $5,000 to start. This is illegal, but that is glossed over by having both names on the trap’s I.D. tag, a quick cover, even though even that is illegal. This is exactly what Gianforte did when he illegally shot a collared Yellowstone wolf known as Max. His proclaimed mentor Matt Lumley, a trapper with a well-known outlaw reputation, trapped the wolf for him to shoot on a private ranch owned by Robert E. Smith, director of the conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group, who contributed thousands of dollars to Gianforte’s 2017 congressional campaign… More about the article in the link below…
https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/553608-manage-man-not-wildlife?amp
Is it Conspiracy, Fact, or both? 