Letter: Use common sense with wolf populations

Dear Editor:

Mike Leahy’s “Techniques to avoid wolf predation exists” (Jan. 22 edition) fails to consider that the reason wolves prey on livestock is because there is little else to eat. Since the wolf reintroduction, the population of their natural prey species – deer, elk and moose – have plummeted.

An example is the Yellowstone elk herd. Ten years ago, the population was estimated at 10,000. Today, it’s 4,000. Yet Mr. Leahy want to use non-lethal control measures. While prey species continue to decline, the wolf population grows at a rate of 20 percent per year.

My question to Mr. Leahy is just what do you intend to feed all these wolves when their natural prey species are gone altogether? We really are approaching this point rapidly. Also, who pays for the thousands of miles of “wolf proof” fencing and the other silly ideas you suggest?

You call yourselves defenders of wildlife? Apparently, you don’t consider deer, elk and moose worth defending. Your only focus seems to be to protect wolves.

When reintroduction was approved, the agreement was when the wolf population between the states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana reached 300 and maintained that number for two years, they would be taken off the endangered species list and maintained at that population. It didn’t happen because you people filed lawsuit after lawsuit to keep them on the endangered list.

Now, the wolf population is out of control. Montana alone has 2,000 wolves. Seeing the number of wolf tracks in just my area, I would bet that number is very conservative.

Looking at all this realistically, the solution is not non-lethal techniques but to use common sense and reduce wolf numbers to the level originally agreed to so all wildlife, along with wolves, can survive and maintain healthy populations.

Bill Weidemoyer

Troy