They're hard to look at, especially for the animal lovers and environmental activists among us, but these photos of ranchers celebrating their recent take of a wolf in Idaho illustrate a side of the west that's important to understand - they call it "custom and culture."
Wildlife managers look down on photographing these incidents, even when they're legal as is apparently the case in this instance. It looks like these guys couldn't help themselves.
In fact, this "custom and culture" was cited in the original Endanger Species Act's recovery plan as a chief reason that wolves were originally extirpated from the Rocky Mountain West at the beginning of the 20th century. They call it "intolerance". Apparently, it's a bit much to ask that humans ought learn to co-exist with the natural world. Instead, the natural world and wildlife are expected to learn to live with us... or die... on our public land.
Legal and illegal killing of wolves is happening all over the west in the just-over-a-month since Bush's Fish and Wildlife Service pushed delisting through. In the last month, 10% of wolves in Wyoming have been killed. WIth 90% of the state of Wyoming as a "wolves are vermin" zone - allowing the killing of wolves at any time for any reason - and with Idaho's more sophisticated passage of a law allowing for the kill of wolves:
that are annoying, disturbing or persecuting, especially with hostile intent or injurious effect, or chasing, driving, flushing, worrying, following after or on the trail of, or stalking or lying in wait for [...]
any domestic animals. The ability to enforce the illegal killing of wolves is nonexistent. The law was tested when an Idaho man shot two wolves last month. He shot one he claimed to be harassing his horses, jumped on a snowmobile and chased down another for over a mile before killing it. The local prosecutor declined to file charges. There's the custom & culture again.
Let's take a moment to consider an important question : How can we honestly celebrate the succesful restoration of wolves when we continue to see wolves laid out in ways eerily reminiscent of the 19th Century. I suppose we don't have to, we can just look the other way.
But for many wildlife biologists, activists, and agency employees in the west this iconic species' recovery is not over. The reintroduction of wolves promised the restoration of diverse western ecosystems and wildlife on federal public lands. They call it the "trophic cascade" effect - the idea that when a keystone predator, like the wolf, re-inhabits its rightful place in an ecosystem - in a wild community, large ungulates like elk will behave differently. They'll move around rather than grazing wildlife habitat to the dirt in the areas most critical to the survival of diverse wildlife - the stream and river banks. We've seen it working in Yellowstone, in area not subjected to domestic livestock grazing. More willows for birds, beaver, and fish. Flourishing aspen stands and foxes. The list continues to expand and inspire conservationists - we're just beginning to understand.
Unfortunately, this ambitious endeavor, "ecological effectiveness," has been all but abandoned with the states' liberal hunts, unenforceable restrictions on arbitrary "take," and with so many acres of public land in the west grazed by livestock. Many national conservation organizations have opted to work with livestock interests rather than against them. Unfortunately, It does little good to promote wolves' restorative attributes regarding moving elk around when you've granted domestic livestock's presence on those same watersheds. With livestock on public land, "conflict" is inevitable and it's deadly for wolves. They're turning out domestic sheep and cattle right on top of wolf dens, rendezvous areas (where wolves hang out), etc. Despite the remarkable efforts of the past decade, "intolerance" is still a general norm.
Regardless of all of that, wildlife activists watch in wait for the political solutions that are necessary to reinvigorate the inspirational promise of the Endangered Species Act and of the wildlife and wild places so characteristic of the west. Instead, even western Democrats celebrate this custom and culture - apparently too afraid to begin the honest conversation about whether this activity is an appropriate use of our children's environmental trust. I think if they found themselves willing, they'd have a lot of contrasting imagery and inspiration with which to draw upon.
It's hard to look at the truth, but it's got to happen. People need to know. I hope you'll help spread the word, and encourage those that you know that wolves and western wildlife is worth the fight. There is a lot to talk about with the war, the campaign, with everything - Bush is looting our backyard too.