National Park Service officials, meanwhile, are wondering why the shooters killed two radio-collared wolves, as the Park Service had an agreement with Alaska Fish and Game officials that collared wolves would be spared as they were part of a long-term study of wolf behavior in the preserve.
“We have meetings set tomorrow with state Fish and Game officials to ask that question," John Quinley, the Park Service's assistant regional director for communications and partnerships, said Thursday evening from his Anchorage office. "Basically, 'How did this happen? You’re two days into the (predator control) program and it’s already gone against the agreement that we thought we had pretty well in place, that was easy to understand.' We’re interested in how that fell apart so fast.”
The four wolves from Yukon-Charley's Weber Creek pack were killed Wednesday in the Fortymile area on the northwest side of the national preserve, the Park Service official said.
“We’ve been studying wolf populations in Yukon-Charley for 16 years and have a long data-set to understand the population dynamics," Mr. Quinley said. "These wolves are a value scientifically and they’re a value for visitors. Our position has been that we want to do all we can to maintain the naturally functionally ecosystems, which is a value of the Alaska parklands that you don’t find everywhere else.”
NPCA officials issued a statement Thursday saying "state gunners in helicopters killed the entire Weber Creek wolf pack from Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, including two collared wolves from a 16-year National Park Service scientific study."
"NPCA calls for the immediate suspension of the state’s wolf eradication program in and around Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve until the Park Service is fully satisfied that the biological integrity of Yukon-Charley wolf packs can be evaluated and a healthy population of wolves can be ensured," the parks advocacy group added. (You can read the rest of this article here)
There is simply no fucking excuse for this kind of brutality.
Number one the whole predator control program is based on the desires of hunters to get the opportunity to kill even MORE animals to mounts on their walls and NOT on sound scientific research.
And this is EXACTLY why animal rights and environmental groups did NOT want idiots with guns flying around the skies of Alaska getting their jollies by killing wolves. These are not trained professionals, but rather a bunch of over grown children desperately trying to demonstrate their manhood by killing a magnificent animal from the safety of a helicopter.
Pathetic.
Friends of Animals has a boycott Alaska petition that you can sign to let Governor Parnell know how disgusted you are by this wholesale slaughter of Alaska's predators.
For information from other Alaska bloggers on this subject I recommend visiting my friends Shannyn Moore and AKMuckraker.
can I shoot Sarah Palin from an airplane?
ReplyDeleteState officials on Monday reported that they killed two of four wolves believed responsible for slaying a teacher in Alaska. The wolves were tracked down by wildlife officials and shot.
ReplyDeleteThe body of jogger Candice Berner, 32, was found last week by residents of Chignik Lake, a remote area on the Alaskan Peninsula southwest of Anchorage.
Alaskan Department of Fish and Game reported the wolves believed responsible were found in the Chignik drainage. A state Department of Fish and Game biologist had been in the community where the mauling occurred attempting to capture or kill the animals since late last week, however snow and wind stymied the efforts.
An autopsy confirmed Berner was killed by wolves. The medical examiner reported there were animal bite marks on Berner's throat.
Berner's partially eaten body was found after search teams on snowmobiles followed a trail of blood.
The attack marks the first such attack by wolves on a human in modern times.
Berner, a special education teacher, was jogging along a remote road when she was killed
Since they were asked not to shoot the collared wolves and then wiped out their whole pack I believe it was done on purpose. First of all why would they not check by looking through the rifle scope or binoculars, even if they did not find a radio signal. They are trying to blame it on the federal collars(they had recently been put on. Parnell has been spreading federal hate and complaining about the federal government trying to contol Alaska, if they don't want the feds to have a say so send the money back. The stupidity is astounding to me.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite clear that Sarah Palin is not the whole story here. Sure she put a lot of people in place before she bailed, but the problems as we can tell just from todays news run much deeper than her. The politicians that get elected in a state are a reflection of the state. Sarah Palin is a very sick sociopath, no doubt, but there are other politicians with the same mindset. She just exacerbated the problem and the positive thing about that is she made it glaringly obvious so we can identify widespread issues.
ReplyDelete"Shooting wolves from planes is to hunting, what hiring a prostitute is to dating."
ReplyDeletePlane, helicopter, tomato, tomato.
How can Alaskans love their dogs and hate their wolves?
The truth is these savages would slaughter every wolf in Alaska if given the chance.
ReplyDeleteThey are bloodthirsty, short sighted, and drunk with power. Remember Reagan's cavalier attitude about preserving the giant redwoods ("you've seen one you've seen them all?")
This is disgusting and it will brings all kinds of bad press to the program and to Sarah Palin and her lackeys (including Parnell).
One can wish....
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7vCww3j2-w
Next on "Sarah Palin's Alaska..."
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 8:05 PM. The wolf killing of the teacher at Chignik Lake is certainly a tragedy. However, there are thousands of miles between Chignik and the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that there are far more murders by humans than by wolves in Alaska.
Does anyone know if there are statistics on the number of moose that are killed by wolves?
I simply think that killing a whole wolf pack is criminal. It seems that it's just sport for frustrated gunners who don't have anything else to shoot.
So, there's money to make hunting animals by helicopter affordable, but there isn't money to fly over remote areas of the state, which might be suitable for cottages, to check for buildings that haven't been issued proper permits or claimed for tax purposes?
ReplyDeleteSorry Alaska, but until you stop this barbaric program you won't see one thin dime of my money.
ReplyDeleteI have a very hard time buying their cover story of these animals being responsible for that teacher's death. I think that was just a lame assed excuse to shoot wolves.
I'm sorry, but anyone who jogs in a remote area alone is not acting responsibly. People get killed in the midwest every year when they run where common sense says they ought not to be.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, if the sites were so far apart, WTF were those "agents" doing killing any wolves at all - particularly an ENTIRE wolf pack.
Taxpayers have long paid for studies and for efforts to reintroduce wolves back into the wild because the wolves serve a purpose, not just a tourist thrill. Natural predators are a necessary check and balance.
People should respect the wilderness areas and not treat them as city park where you can just mosey in and out without any danger. Hmmm - city parks are dangerous in their own way.
I am so angry about this wolf shoot that I can spit, and wish I could spit directly in the faces of the jerks who were in the helicopter. I saw their smirking faces in photos on another site; how proud they were of themselves. Foolish adolescent mentalities!
The problem is Alaska has no problem taking Federal dollars but doesn't want the FEDs to tell them what to do with "Their" wolves...!
ReplyDeleteThey do no get that National is FED meaning all of our wolves!!!!
The killing of a entire pack is inexcusable! It can only be the work of the "Gopher choker" $arah Palin's lapdog now the head of the DF&G!! This AssHat has no college degrees in biology! And he is in charge of managing wildlife for the state. If they could they would kill every wolf in the state. They want the area by the Yukon-Charley park & Denali (a Federal Park & Preserve)for raising moose.
Support the PAW act that will stop aerial hunting and will be very hard for them to continue this killing...
Boycott Alaska this summer!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=365452741386
A wolf wouldn't attack a jogger unless it was starving or mad (rabies).
ReplyDeleteIf Alaska doesn't want the Feds involved in the state and won't follow Federal law, then they don't get Federal money. Period. I understand D.C. sends quite a bit of money to Alaska. Please redirect it to California to help our education deficit.
Perhaps all of the wolves in Alaska should be relocated (every single one) so that Alaska can then be overrun with mice and rats. Don't tell me you don't have them. They're everywhere.
Then me and Farley Mowat can cry "told you so!".
A wolf wouldn't attack a jogger unless it was starving or mad (rabies).
ReplyDelete===================================
Autopsy results say the wolves in the Chignik killing were normal, healthy animals.
NPCA saw their contributions drop in half last year and recorded a $20 million loss. If they don't find a fundraising issue to rally behind, they will be broke in a matter of months.
ReplyDeleteExpect them to wave the banner of "save the Alaskan wolves!" as they desperately thrash around for survival.
OT,but not much: www.dailymail.co.uk has an article & some beautiful large photos today, of a polar bear & her new cubs. Steven Kazlowski,an
ReplyDeleteenvironmentalist was touring the coast
of Alaska with his Inupiak Eskimo
guide & he tells how he was able to
capture these shots. In the comments
section for readers, one said: "...
please show these images to the hunters that would kill them for a
RUG!!!!!" Hope some of you can
access this article before they take
it down.
To anon 8:05pm: what's new at c's4p?
that is your primary home, right?
Run back over there & tell 'em how
your cover has been blown here.
Sharon TN
The daily mail article I believe is this one:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1259097/Here-comes-son-Rare-images-capture-mother-polar-bear-taking-cub-outdoors-time.html
There were quite a few.
I liked the one about the teenage polar bear playing with a stick for three hours. Poor solitary fellow.
Hello, I'm very glad I've entered your site, cause it's great!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your ideas and purposes. They are really worth. But are yu able to make them come true?
ReplyDelete