Urgent! Public Comments Needed By TODAY Objecting To New Rule Changes By Washington Department Of Fish & Wildlife Making It Easier To Kill The State’s Estimated 200 Wolves

Today is the deadline for the public to send comments to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in order to oppose suggested rule changes to address how the state handles gray wolf and livestock conflict deterrence.

The new rules lack clear and enforceable language that would ensure that appropriate proactive non-lethal practices are used by farmers to reduce livestock losses before the agency considers killing wolves. The rules also make it easier to kill wolves in “chronic conflict areas” where the use of non-lethal practices are most needed.

“There are only about 200 animals in Washington’s recovering wolf population, and they remain absent from much of their former range in the state,” Zoë Hanley, northwest representative with Defenders of Wildlife, said in a statement. “While we appreciate the effort to codify the use of non-lethal practices, there is no justification for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to make it easier to kill wolves. Conservation efforts can’t backslide right now.”

This should be turned into an opportunity to re-envision how humans interact with wolves in Washington and set expectations, guidance, and requirements which are necessary if humans are to coexist with wolves successfully.

Defenders of Wildlife’s Northwest program will be providing feedback on these rules and encouraging the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to adopt stricter guidelines that support wolf recovery in the state.

Public comments are due TODAY and can be posted HERE! To leave a voicemail message, please call 855-925-2801 and enter project code 3861.