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

by Stephanie Ernst · 2009-04-03 07:57:00 UTC
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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

Stephanie Ernst wrote the original Animal Rights blog at Change.org until December 2009. She can now be found at Animal Rights & AntiOppression.
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