Wolf Hunting
|
Background
Before settlers arrived in Wisconsin, wolves were abundant in the wilderness. As pioneers began to settle, they created farms. As the pioneers became farmers, they began to raise livestock. The wolves became competition to the farmers and started to attack and kill their livestock. A bounty system was put in place by the territorial and later state government that lasted until 1957. During this time, anyone could go into the woods and kill as many wolves as they pleased, receiving up to $20 per kill from the state. However, by 1960, no wolves remained. From the 1960’s through the 1980’s there were no wolves in Wisconsin. This changed in the early 1980’s when a pack of wolves wandered in from Minnesota. Since then, Wisconsin’s wolf population has reached to at least 700 wolves, and was increasing rapidly, from the last count in 2010. In 2012, wolves in Wisconsin were removed from the endangered species list. Because of the delisting of wolves as an endangered species, wolf harvests were taken during the 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2014-15 seasons to reduce the population to a sustainable number. However, this changed halfway thru the 2014-2015 season when the wolf was re-listed on the national endangered species list in 2014. Key Players List Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president and chief counsel for animal protection litigation at the Humane Society of the United States, spoke against gray wolf hunts, stating that the hunts are being encouraged by ‘hostile state management programs that encourage dramatic reductions in wolf populations.’ Other animal and wildlife protection groups stand against wolf hunts and raise the issue of hunters cruelly killing wolves by hunting at night or with dogs. These wildlife protection groups have been in conflict with federal officials, as the federal officials have tried multiple times to remove wolves from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Farmers and deer hunters are the main groups of people that stand with the wolf hunt. Farmers are primarily concerned with the wolves attacking cattle, and deer hunters argue that the increased number of wolves have reduced the number of deer. According to a 2014 public attitude survey, these types of people along with people who live in “wolf range” show the lowest amount of support for wolf conservation as opposed to other state residents. Power Dynamics The group with the most power over the matter is the federal government, as they can introduce and make laws for or against the wolf hunt. This also includes the U.S Fish and WIldlife Service (FWS), which is an agency of federal government dedicated to the management of wildlife and natural habitats. In 2009, the FWS had delisted the gray wolf from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. The Humane Society of the United States took this decision to the courts, reinstating federal protections for the wolves. In this matter, however, the government still had the most power. Ethical Problems There are a lot of ethical problems that surround the concept of a wolf hunt in Wisconsin. Most stem from the fact that a mere 50 years ago wolves were completely extinct from Wisconsin. Animal rights activists argue that it is not morally right to hunt an animal that was so recently extinct from the grounds. They believe that it was a miracle that they wiling came back to Wisconsin. There is also an ethical concern to using dogs to hunt wolves. It is allowed in the status quo, but many believe that it is not right to hunt an animal with another animal. They also have become annoyed hearing hunters get angry about the fact that there dog was slaughtered by a wolf when it was there own fault they let him out in the first place. Killing wolves with dogs demonstrates no respect for either animal. It does not represent humility by the hunter, and It trivializes the death of a creature. There are a lot of ethical questions relating to wolf hunts, there will never be a simple answer to solve this ethical dilemma. |