Arizona Action Alert!

The bill replaces the science-based process outlined in the Endangered Species Act for deciding when an endangered species has recovered and thus can go off the endangered species list, with decision-making by the livestock industry, anti-wolf hunting groups, and the anti-wolf game departments of Arizona and New Mexico.  Under this bill, these entities instead of scientists would determine at what point the Mexican gray wolf would be delisted. As a result, the Mexican wolf would be taken off the endangered species list prematurely (could happen within weeks or even days after the bill would be signed into law) and subject to renewed persecution even while still at grave risk of extinction and still in desperate need of protection and affirmative conservation measures.

• The decision to take wolves off the protected list will be exempt from judicial review — thus undermining the checks and balances built into our democratic system of government.

• After delisting, wolves could only go back onto the endangered species list under criteria agreed to by the livestock industry, anti-wolf hunting groups and the game departments.

• Even for the short remaining time that Mexican wolves would stay on the ‘endangered’ list after passage of this bill, a cap on the number of wolves would be instituted and all wolves over that cap would be mandated to be removed — most likely through aerial gunning, strangulation snaring and trapping.  This would not only prove horrendous for individual wolves, but would stymie real recovery of this endangered subspecies by limiting their numbers, and could also end up killing genetically valuable wolves that are critical to preventing extinction.

• Even for the short time that Mexican wolves would stay listed under this bill, they would be confined to a small area and definitely would not be allowed north of I-40 to the Grand Canyon region where scientists say they need to inhabit in order to recover; their range, however, would likely be smaller than under current management and they might not even be allowed anywhere close to I-40.

• Sen. Flake’s bill would result in extinction of the Mexican gray wolf, and he should withdraw it and pledge not to introduce any similar legislation as a sneaky rider on must-pass budget or appropriations bills.