Death of a Druid
The killing in the Greater Yellowstone region has already begun.
One of the first victims: Wolf 253M -- a celebrity wolf, affectionately known as “Limpy.”
Help us stop the senseless killing of Greater Yellowstone wolves now. Please make a tax-deductible contribution today.
Limpy was many things to many people -- to wolf-watchers, he was the hobbling member of Yellowstone’s famous Druid Peak Pack. To Utahans, he was the first wolf to be seen in the state for more than 70 years.
But wolf 253M’s celebrity didn’t save him in the end. Limpy and two other wolves were shot dead in an elk feeding ground, part of Wyoming’s brutal shoot-on-sight policy that covers virtually the entire state.
The killing has already begun. Please donate now to support our work to save wolves in the Greater Yellowstone area.
Limpy’s death was just the beginning. It’s been 26 days since wolves were stripped of federal protections in the Greater Yellowstone area -- and at least 17 wolves have already been killed in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. And there are surely more to come.
Officials in Idaho changed their state law on the day wolves were delisted, making it far easier for anyone to kill wolves near livestock or domestic animals.
In Wyoming, state officials stripped all protection from wolves in 88% of the state. Locals have organized weekend eradication “wolf hunts” to kill any wolf that they find. One group tracked a wolf for 35 miles on snowmobiles before shooting it dead.[1]
You contribution will help us…
Fight for our wolves in court;
Confront flawed state wolf policies with science and common sense;
Help ranchers reduce conflicts with wolves using non-lethal methods;
Debunk the myths and misinformation about wolves through on-the-ground education and outreach; and
Much, much more...
Will you make a tax-deductible emergency donation right now to help?
We can win the battle to save our wolves. But we can’t do it without your help.
Wolf 253M, known as "Limpy" was the beloved member of Yellowstone's Druid Peak pack -- and one of the first wolves shot dead when federal protections were lifted on Northern Rockies wolves.
"Nicknamed 'Limpy' because his back legs were crippled in a fight when he was young, 253M was just shy of 8 years old -- a wolf Methuselah -- when he died March 28, shot in Wyoming on the first day wolves lost their protected status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act."
--"Wolf's death stirs fears for species' fate" by Patty Henetz, The Salt Lake City Tribune, April 8, 2008
The full article by Patty Henetz can be found here.
(Thanks, Ang, for the help *smewch*)