Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

America’s wolves must be put back on the Endangered Species List. They are beautiful and are being senselessly slaughtered. My eleven year old daughter cried all day about this injustice. She loves the beauty and intelligence of the wolf. Please act and stop this slaughter of wolves immediately!
— Mary of Oklahoma

We have doomed the wolf not for what it is but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be: the mythologized epitome of a savage, ruthless killer — which is, in reality, not more than the reflected image of ourselves. We have made it the scapewolf for our own sins.
— Farley Mowat, from the preface of the 1993 editon of his book, Never Cry Wolf 

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Montana is a big and beautiful state in the Northern Rocky Mountains of the United States. But during the past two years Montana’s politicians have allowed a minority of their more violent and heartless citizens, and like-minded others from outside the state, to persecute and kill over 300 innocent and ecologically vital wolves that lived within the state. In 2011, Montana’s own Division of Fish, Wildlife and Parks estimated the total wolf population there to be about 550 wolves. 

There is a glimmer of hope, of positive change for wolves in Montana, and for all of us who respect and admire wolves and want them protected. Montana has a new Governor, Steve Bullock, who campaigned with reason and decency. He did not pander to the wolf haters and kept an open door to the many wolf defenders who met him.

Now, Governor Bullock has the opportunity to demonstrate right from the start that he is indeed a man and a leader who respects ecology, healthy ecosystems and the importance of natural predators, including wolves.   

The Montana House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 73. This perverted bill is now before the Montana State Senate. It is intended to accelerate the torture and massacre of the remaining wolves in Montana. If passed and signed by Gov. Bullock, it will allow each sport killer to kill more wolves, reduce the cost of out of state licenses to kill wolves, allow sport killers to use electronic calls of wolf pups in distress to attract concerned wolves, allow killing of wolves on the perimeter of Yellowstone National Park with no buffer zone and on and on. The devil himself could have written this bill.

The facts speak for themselves:
There are approximately 2,500,000 cattle in Montana. In 2011, just 74 cattle were confirmed to be taken by wolves. 74 out of 2,500,000. That tiny tiny number is statistically zero. But, pathetic cattlemen continue to spread hysterical lies about wolves killing their  non-native cattle in numbers too numerous to count. These same cattlemen rely on the ignorance and apathy of the general public, so they can continue their demonization and slaughter of America’s native wolves and coyotes and mountain lions and bison and wild horses and prairie dogs and anything else that moves.

As for elk, the principle prey of wolves in the Rockies, Montana had 90,000 elk before wolves returned to their native homeland in Montana. Today with wolves back on the land, the state of Montana estimates the current elk population at 140,000. More wolves equals  more elk and the elk are much healthier now that wolves are keeping them on their toes, just as nature intended.

Wolves are vital, innocent, highly social, intelligent and family-oriented beings. It is humans that are the mass killers of wolves and every other animal they can shoot, trap, poison and destroy. It is ignorant and violent humans who must be managed and restrained, and who must finally learn to live on this Earth respectfully and with compassion for non-human beings who have as much right as humans to live and prosper across the planet we share. 
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This week’s WOLF DEFENDER ACTION is to contact Montana’s new Governor, Steve Bullock. Please be respectful and polite. Gov. Bullock is brand new to his position and has taken no action to hurt wolves.

Ask Governor Bullock to put an end to the persecution and massacre of wolves in Montana. Ask him to veto Montana House Bill 73. Ask the governor to be the first governor in the Rocky Mountains to show compassion, decency and respect for living wolves, in Montana and throughout the Rockies. Ask Gov. Bullock to acknowledge the indispensable and positive role, wolves and every other natural predator performs in every healthy ecosystem. Ask him to protect America’s wolves.

Here are three ways to contact Governor Steve Bullock:
(Please be polite and respectful and consider doing all three. I was told he reads letters that are mailed to him directly.) 

1. By Phone: 1-406-444-3111
2. By EMail:   governor@mt.gov
3. By US Mail: 
Governor Steve Bullock 
Office of the Governor 
PO Box 200801 
Helena, Montana 59620

Thank you, for America’s ecologically vital and beautiful wolves,
Robert Goldman
Protect America’s Wolves!

http://signon.org/sign/protect-americas-wolves?mailing_id=8721&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=5415959

P.S. We are almost 14,000 strong and growing. Please forward this email to everyone you know who is respectful and decent and who cares about protecting wildlife. If you have not already done so, read the Background Text that is just below the petition. Thanks!