Early today, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced that the time period allowed for the public to comment on their proposal to strip wolves of Endangered Species Act protections is being extended 45 days.

Additionally, they will be holding public, in-person hearings in 3 locations:

September 30, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in Washington, DC.

October 2, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m in Sacramento, California.

October 4, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This is welcome news, as the public comment process was twice plagued with technical issues that made submitting comments impossible for days on end. Further, the FWS came under recent scrutiny after the organization P.E.E.R. found that they had excluded 3 of the nation’s top wolf experts from the mandated peer review process. These scientists were banned because they had signed a letter along with 13 other scientists expressing their disagreement with the science of Secretary Jewell’s plan.

We hope that Interior Secretary Jewell and the FWS will take these additional 45 days to listen to the hundreds of thousands of people that have already spoken out against this plan in addition to the scientists referenced above.

We will be using these additional days and weeks to continue to organize against this unscientific plan, both online and in-person at the public hearings.  The ESC has connected a one-of-a-kind network of scientists, legal experts, advocates, and others to build support for maintaining protections for wolves.

Please click here to send an email to Secretary Jewell asking that the FWS maintain existing protections for still-recovering wolves and consider supporting the ESC’s work to protect wolves.

Stay Informed!

33 comments on “FWS grants wolf delisting a (very) temporary reprieve

  1. Please reinlist the Wolves on ESA.The Wolves are still endanger and has not recover in all areas that they are Native too. Our Ego system needs every animals to help keep it healthy for us.Every animal was created by God with a purpose in life.they have a purpose, please be a voice and save these amazing wolves.

  2. Our wolves are far from recovered in the lower 48 states. All rancher’s must be held accountable for their own losses if they do not use non lethal means in which to protect their own herd’s. We must also give the public land back to the animals native to their lands. Stiff punishment must be used in unlawful murdering of all collared wolves as well. All scientific data has proven that our ecosystem will continue to fail if wolves are not returned to all of their native lands.
    We, the animal advocates have been told too many lies and it’s time for it to stop. We thought that you would help us protect the wolves, we thought Mr. Obama cared about our fragile ecosystem. But no one will help us stop the madness that President Bush started. It is time for the “We the people, by the people” get’s utilized!

  3. Please keep wolves under the protection of the EAS. Nature has a balance in which the wolves belong. Our past glorious history of hunting animals to only spare those in zoo’s has been and continues to be a tried and true failure. You have a chance to undo the harm of this policy. Man and Woman up and do it. I thing we have enough cows and sheep already.

  4. Hundreds of thousands of people have spoken out on the wolves “next to none protection”. Isn’t it time to open your ears and listen. Our wolves are being slaughtered every day. They suffer horrific deaths, how can this be allowed?? Are we still in the Dark Ages and still fearful of wolves. Educate yourself on the positive aspects of the wolf. Learn how they are great parents, loyal and loving, and have done NOTHING to man. Ranchers can co-exist with wolves if they REALLY wanted to, but for them its easier to kill them. Then get compensating from our government for that MURDER!!!!! This country needs a wake up call right now. If this slaughter is not stopped all the wolves will be slaughtered and our government will be the cause. SHAME ON YOU !!!!

  5. please please stop killing wolves nature intended them to run wild and free its not right murdering them for who they are or what they are protect natures gift to us all wolves do not belong to you or anyone wolves belong to the wilderness and the wilderness belongs to them not you or any other person in any country we need them i am so downhearted that millions of good people worldwide love wolves nd want to protect and save them and yet no one hears our pleas so please im begging anyone in authority stop killing wolves place them back on the endangered species register and help save them .i dont know if anyone will take notice but i hope someone does

  6. I ask you consider to re-list the grey wolves on the Endangered Species list. Science and biology have proven wolves play an important role in our ecology. I believe we can all work together with sensible and humane means to protect the ranchers and hunters interest. The grey wolf should not be a pawn in a senseless game of hatred. I believe we should protect the wolves as they represent a national symbol of freedom.

  7. This senseless slaughter of our American wildlife must stop, especially the wolves! Wolves are an important part of our eco-system. At the rate we’re gtoingt, t

  8. This senseless slaughter of our American wildlife must stop, especially the wolves. Wolves are an important part of our eco-system. At the rate we’re going, there won’t be any wildlife left for our grandchildren except in zoos! There are no reasons why we can’t coexist with wildlife! All we have to do is stop killing and make the effort!

  9. IS Jewell,
    Please provide the public with the following information… the above mentioned FWS falsified documents including the names of all individuals involved, the list of all contributors to FWS (names & donation amounts), all FWS research conducted on wolf population that addresses how to keep wolves out of their territory without the use of firearms, traps, baiting, poisoning, or torture, and all documents evidencing the FWS use of the legal system to charge/ prosecute individuals who violate laws intended to protect the wolves.
    The failures within the FWS couldn’t be more obvious. For those of us following the news on the slaughtering of wolves, we are aware of the following… the FWS has no plans to develop a system that would protect both live stock and wolves. Instead they take bribes from ranchers who continue the slaughtering. Falsifying documents to “delist” the wolves allows the killing to continue. A short 45 day reprieve will prevent all protestors/ experts from coming forward. Pushing the delisting through results in promises kept and bribe money exchanging hands.This money is more important than protecting wolves, which just happens to be their job.
    The FWS is looking pathetic and worthless. I am disgusted as many of us have worked very hard to make a difference only to find out we have been betrayed. It’s good to know that everyone is replaceable, including all FWS employees. Thank you for your time, Teri

  10. Please keep these Beautiful animals protected. They are just trying to survive. They were here way before we were and they deserve respect and protection. We can coexist. Let’s work to make a better place to live for both animal and man kind. Peace, Respect and Love.

  11. Please protect the wolves, keep these beautiful animals alive and propagating. They must survive. We can co-exist.

  12. Please do not go through with the delisting of the wolf, this animal has not recovered and need further protecting from hunters and such. Keep the wolf on the endangeredlist, we as humans can co-exist with all animals if we so desire.

  13. Please don’t delist the wolves, use non lethal on the grazing land, can help elk and deer more strong and healthy, has the right to live on the earth, not need to kill them for sport men’s enjoy and torture, traps cruelty, most black market selling in China, see the suffers and painful for 72 hours in trapped! Please take care with the wolves and coyotes, good for ecosystem. I never see wild wolves in California nothing, few wildlife because the wildlife game took many birds, bobcats, coyotes, fox, etc. they are the same we are livings! Why so much must delist them only 6,000 to 10,000 wolves in America …

  14. don’t take wolves off the list, they are vulnerable,they are a vital and important part of the eco ;system.you cant afford to lose them please reconsider.

  15. There are so many things wrong with the de-listing of the wolves in this country. People have made the wolves into savage, brutal killers for hundreds of years, through rumor and story alike. Much like the stories of old, the image of an intelligent yet intentionally brutal murdering animal, is archaic. Yet we continue to be fascinated by it. It’s an image that should be taken out for good. We know the facts. Wolves, much like humans only attack or kill for certain reasons. Food, and when they are being threatened.

    They kill to eat, the same way we eat animals that have been killed and processed for us. So, just because we are the ‘dominant’ species on the planet, we’re the only ones allowed to kill for food? I think not. If that’s the case the Eco-system is in grave danger of collapsing into a downward, unstoppable spiral. If ranchers do not want wolves killing their stock, they should keep them out of the known territories of the wolves’ pack. I’ve read many stories about ranchers who have claimed grazing lands that were known hunting areas for local packs. I’ve even read about a rancher who left a small herd out in a grazing area alone, knowing there were wolves in the area. This rancher left no one to watch or protect the cattle and then complained when one of them turned up dead. If this rancher had been truly concerned, they would have kept the beasts (the cattle) in sight, stayed with them and watched them while they grazed. If it was a multi-day site there should have been a per-established watch set up.

    If wolves are threatened, they will exhaust every resource they have. Running, hiding, growling, swiping with their paws, fur being raised, and even the occasional snap of their jaws. Only if the threat persists AND proves to be something potentially fatal, with the wolf attack.
    Do we not have guns, and other means of protection in our home? Are we not taught to do everything in our power to ward off a threat before resorting to violence and death? We will yell, threaten, bluff, fight, and even resort to making a scene in order to avoid unnecessary violence. When it becomes clear that we have no other choice we also will kill whatever is threatening us.

    Wolf attacks on humans are rare, and usually there is a form of provocation. Due to loss of habitat and food many wolves feel unusually cornered. They feel like they are being chased, and have very little room left to run. We are the cause of this. By taking over their territory in the name of progress we are forcing them to become the monsters we have always heard about. Why should they suffer for our actions?

    I must ask, if we are the ones making them into savage, brutal killing monsters…are we not the bigger monsters?

  16. In the early 1900’s Wolves were hunted and trapped to the brink of extinction and only with the act of government protection was the light of survival once again on. With the current anti-wolf sentiment emotionally running high and with modern technology and firepower at hand, the total annihilation of wolves could be a very real reality! The Wolf is a part of our nation’s heritage and an intricate member of the very Ecological Balance of Nature! What a tragedy it would be for us all, if they existed as wild and free only in a page in history! Please re-think the far out reaching effects and reconsider delisting of these majestic animals! If there is no reprieve, the doors to slaughter will be opened, including the use of methods which results in euthanasia by torture (as in steel traps and poisons)! Please reconsider and give the Wolf a chance to survive without a constant fear of annihilation!

  17. I humbly ask that Wolves be kept safe under the Endangered Species Act. Wolves are an integral part of our ecosystem, they greatly help to keep Deer and Elk herds healthy and balanced. This is a scientifically proven fact. Science and Ecology should not be ignored in this case.
    Vilainized and misunderstood, hunted to extinction before, we cannot and should not allow this barbaric part of our American history to repeat itself again. This would be one more example of how the greed and the exploitations of man can and will leave this planet barren by poking gaping holes into our ecosystem. Unbalance is good for no one. It has been proven over time again and again. De-listing will create chaos among Wolves, among herds of their pray and eventually among man.
    Let’s think outside the box, let’s give them a chance.
    There are non lethal methods that are cost effective for ranchers and management to use to protect livestock if need be. Wolves deserve to have a full recovery.
    Thank You!

  18. I am requesting that you reconsider the delisting of wolves. We have been down this road before, why go backwards when there are so many different ways to go forward that doesn’t include hunting these beautiful creatures to extinction again. You are about to head down the wrong side of the fork in the road again. How can wolves not be endangered when they are not seen in every state. I remember recently watching a show on NatGeo recently where they were shocked to see the 1st wolf in decades in NV. The !ST?? You quote the cost of the loss to ranchers for animals killed by wolves, but do they know for a fact the it is wolves? We have encroached on the lands of many animals who have no choice but to come closer to civilization for their food.
    What about the cost, labor and personal commitments made by the amazing people who worked decades to bring these beautiful creatures back from the point of extinction?
    I ask please work with the scientist who have studied the wolves for many years, for a better non-lethal way of making the ranchers and us, the ones praying for the safety of all wolves, happy.
    Thank you

  19. I’ve visited Mission Wolf and did meet Merlin there. It is a wonderful sanctuary and has done so much to help educate the public about wolves, as this story has shown. They are beautiful animals. Yes, wolves are predators, just like the mountain lions, hawks, snakes, HUMANS, etc. They all keep the ecosystem in line and all deserve to live on this great earth of ours. Who are we to decide who lives and who does not? I fear that de-listing wolves will put a target on their back.

  20. I hope my voice will be heard…Please help the wolf…Reintroduce the wolf to New York State…we have an over abundance of deer…I have never had the opportunity to see a wild wolf and feel that I should have the right to see a pack…We need to educate people on the good wolves do to ecosystems…How variety of animals thrive in the wild…Because of wolves…Hunters and Cattlemen cannot be the only group that makes decisions on what happens to wolves. Save wolves and feed the wild mustangs since my taxpayer dollars are paying for their care….

  21. One needs only to meet a wolf in person to know how special this very sentient being is. Wolves are not just important to the entire ecosystem but to us as humans, as well. as a part of that ecosystem.

  22. I live in and write to you from Tasmania to tell you that I am very much concerned about the fate of the wolves in your country. You may know that Tasmania was once home to the Tasmanian Tiger, the animal featuring in the William Dafoe movie The Hunter. You can find also information here: https://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/webpages/bhan-53777b

    The Tasmanian Tigers were abundant in Tasmania before European settlement in 1803. Those unique marsupial carnivores fell into rapid decline between 1886 and 1909, when the Tasmanian government encouraged people to hunt the iconic predator by paying a bounty for carcasses. They were hunted, trapped and poisoned. Now – everybody would love to get them back!

    This is exactly what is proposed to be done to the wolves! By your government!

    Some of these killings are so vile and cruel – it is heart breaking! Facebook has a few pictures of the atrocities committed by trappers and would be hunters.
    The wolves will become extinct if not protected and we will not be able to get them back.!
    They do not deserve the hate and vileness! Farmers and ranchers ought to be more thoughtful about their cattle and protect them as still can be done by non violent means!

  23. I live in Ohio and travel to Wyoming/Montana once or twice every year to see the wildlife and especially wolves. They are such an important part of the ecosystem and I just hope the people deciding their fate are aware of this fact, not to mention the countless number of people who come from all over the world to see them and generate millions of dollars for the economy. The last time I was in Yellowstone I met a man from England who came to the US with the sole purpose of seeing a wolf in the wild. PLEASE protect them!

  24. When wolves were reintroduced where I live in Idaho, they were not welcomed. But they thrived because of the excellent management for FWS by the Nez Perce Indian Nation. Why Indians? Because the wolf was a sacred animal to this and many Indian tribes, and considered a wise teacher of how to live, care for one’s family and be an efficient hunter who did not waste its food. I covered the reintroduction as an independent radio journalist and followed the Nez Perce wolf biologists in the field, as well as in Yellowstone Park. I have been very lucky to see many wolves in the wild –35 in one day in the Park! — so it makes me crazy to see how Western leaders and our Congressmen in D.C. are working so hard to see them become extinct again. I expect better from the Obama Administration. Allowing the wanton killing of wild wolves across the Northern Rockies is wrong-headed. It upsets the social order of a wolf family, so yearlings and pups without parents begin killing livestock instead of their normal prey. They are simply trying as orphans to survive. It is insane what we are doing and the Obama Administration and Western state fish and game departments are all ignoring the latest science on wolves from studying the Yellowstone wolves — they are now considered a keystone species for a healthy ecosystem. They are the canary in the mineshaft. If we don’t stop killing them so ruthlessly — this is NOT management — we will never restore them to their important role in nature. The Indians knew this truth. We must keep them on the ESA and protect them until the polarization and hatred dissipates from elk hunters, livestock owners, and trophy hunters. We need to learn to respect the wolf and we’re far, far from that now.

  25. RESPECT to all living things on earth!

    This beautiful ,life giving Earth ,is under siege. Her ecosystem are being devastated or destroyed. Her creatures and other life forms are what keeps these ecosystems health and balanced. Its been a perfect system ,until man entered the picture. For centuries he has destroyed or damaged everything he can lay waste to. And now over time , with man’s technology, he has injected, drilled ,dug, cut ,bulldozed, raped and destroyed her natural resource, all for greed and power. Never once looking back to see the waste land he leaves behind – not even caring about the effects on life. Now he has a vital creature in his sights. Why – because of hunters, gun clubs, gun sales, Fish and Wildlife, tour groups,ranchers and the most destructive lobbyist and politicians . This is done for power, greed , pleasure of the kill and ignorance. This ignorance will end the wolf. Who for years biologist and scientist have worked to protect and keep them in the wild. They keep the checks and balance of the wilds ecosystem healthy. By culling deer and elk herds ,and other prey from over population and disease. When these species become over populated, they starve or destroyed trees and vegetation ,which are vital for a healthy ecosystem. Which in turn has a chain reaction on other life. We need to stick with the Earth design ,that was perfected , long before man entered the picture. We need to stop playing God. Human greed is on steroids and along with our extreme ignorance, there won’t be one wild animal left on the planet: as usual, the ugliness inside humans destroy what little beauty we have left.
    I strongly oppose cruelty to animals. It’s unbearable to see any living being suffering. Leave them in peace, they have just as much right to live on planet Earth as the rest of us!!!!

  26. Please stop the wolves from being hunted to extinction. Please bring in Scientists who can explain what is happening now, and the ramifications it will cause in the future. Please take time to really study wolves, and stop this senseless slaughter. Lastly, please listen to the people who care about wildlife in all it’s glory, which is the majority of us as Americans. You’re working for the greater good for all citizens of this wonderful country, please remember this too.

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