Press Release
- For Immediate Release:
- Contact
- Wayne Pacelle • 202-420-0446
- wayne@animalwellnessaction.org
- Contact
- Jennifer McCausland • 206-972-8555
News Update: Inslee Directs Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to Mend Its Ways on Wolf Killing
Inslee takes action after the state issues kill orders on a set of wolf packs who came into conflict with ranchers on public lands
KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON — The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action applauded Washington Governor Jay Inslee for writing to the Director of Fish and Wildlife and directing him “to significantly reduce the need for lethal removal” of endangered wolves in the state.
“Governor Inslee has done the right thing in directing the Department of Fish and Wildlife to step up its non-lethal wolf management strategies and slow down its wolf killing,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy. “Killing off wolves and packs one by one has been the wrong strategy for the state in managing occasional wolf-human conflicts.”
In recent weeks, the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action took a series of print and digital advertisements to encourage Inslee’s intervention. The groups also supported a legal action that produced a temporary injunction on killing of members of the Old Profanity Territory pack. Regrettably, state officials killed off all members of the pack just hours or perhaps minutes before the judicial proceeding.
Since the conclusions of the court proceeding, many Washingtonians have expressed concerns about the state’s last-minute onslaught against the wolves and its subsequent orders to kill wolves from other packs.
“The Department of Fish and Wildlife has proved to be a most effective contract killer of endangered animals for private ranching operation,” said Jennifer McCausland of the Center for a Humane Economy and a leader in advocating for wolves in the state. “The state can do better than this, and it’s our hope that the Department heeds the governor’s wishes.”
The state has now killed 25 wolves in the Colville National Forest on behalf of Diamond M Ranch, since wolves began their slow return to northeast Washington. Complaints from that family have triggered 87 percent of all state-conducted wolf removal actions. The family has declined government payments to compensate them for lost cattle and refuses to take commonsense measures to protect its cattle from predators. Instead, it has publicly demanded the eradication of wolves from the area. The state has also been targeting the Togo Pack and the Grouse Flats pack.
Until this latest series of lethal wolf actions by the state, wolves had been slowly reclaiming small portions of their original range in Washington. The state has been on a pace this year to kill a fifth of Washington’s wolves, which the Department of Fish and Wildlife officials had previously estimated at 125 animals.
Animal Wellness Action (Action) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty. We champion causes that alleviate the suffering of companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife. We advocate for policies to stop dogfighting and cockfighting and other forms of malicious cruelty and to confront factory farming and other systemic forms of animal exploitation. To prevent cruelty, we promote enacting good public policies and we work to enforce those policies. To enact good laws, we must elect good lawmakers, and that’s why we remind voters which candidates care about our issues and which ones don’t. We believe helping animals helps us all.
The Center for a Humane Economy (“the Center”) is a non-profit organization that focuses on influencing the conduct of corporations to forge a humane economic order. The first organization of its kind in the animal protection movement, the Center encourages businesses to honor their social responsibilities in a culture where consumers, investors, and other key stakeholders abhor cruelty and the degradation of the environment and embrace innovation as a means of eliminating both.
The Animal Wellness Foundation (Foundation) is a Los Angeles-based private charitable organization with a mission of helping animals by making veterinary care available to everyone with a pet, regardless of economic ability. We organize rescue efforts and medical services for dogs and cats in need and help homeless pets find a loving caregiver. We are advocates for getting veterinarians to the front lines of the animal welfare movement; promoting responsible pet ownership; and vaccinating animals against infectious diseases such as distemper. We also support policies that prevent animal cruelty and that alleviate suffering. We believe helping animals helps us all.
Breaking News
Animal Wellness Action Press Release
News Update: Inslee Directs Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to Mend Its Ways on Wolf Killing
Inslee takes action after the state issues kill orders on a set of wolf packs who came into conflict with ranchers on public lands
KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON — The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action applauded Washington Governor Jay Inslee for writing to the Director of Fish and Wildlife and directing him “to significantly reduce the need for lethal removal” of endangered wolves in the state.
“Governor Inslee has done the right thing in directing the Department of Fish and Wildlife to step up its non-lethal wolf management strategies and slow down its wolf killing,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy. “Killing off wolves and packs one by one has been the wrong strategy for the state in managing occasional wolf-human conflicts.”
In recent weeks, the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action took a series of print and digital advertisements to encourage Inslee’s intervention. The groups also supported a legal action that produced a temporary injunction on killing of members of the Old Profanity Territory pack. Regrettably, state officials killed off all members of the pack just hours or perhaps minutes before the judicial proceeding.
Since the conclusions of the court proceeding, many Washingtonians have expressed concerns about the state’s last-minute onslaught against the wolves and its subsequent orders to kill wolves from other packs.
“The Department of Fish and Wildlife has proved to be a most effective contract killer of endangered animals for private ranching operation,” said Jennifer McCausland of the Center for a Humane Economy and a leader in advocating for wolves in the state. “The state can do better than this, and it’s our hope that the Department heeds the governor’s wishes.”
The state has now killed 25 wolves in the Colville National Forest on behalf of Diamond M Ranch, since wolves began their slow return to northeast Washington. Complaints from that family have triggered 87 percent of all state-conducted wolf removal actions. The family has declined government payments to compensate them for lost cattle and refuses to take commonsense measures to protect its cattle from predators. Instead, it has publicly demanded the eradication of wolves from the area. The state has also been targeting the Togo Pack and the Grouse Flats pack.
Until this latest series of lethal wolf actions by the state, wolves had been slowly reclaiming small portions of their original range in Washington. The state has been on a pace this year to kill a fifth of Washington’s wolves, which the Department of Fish and Wildlife officials had previously estimated at 125 animals.
The Animal Wellness Foundation (Foundation) is a Los Angeles-based private charitable organization with a mission of helping animals by making veterinary care available to everyone with a pet, regardless of economic ability. We organize rescue efforts and medical services for dogs and cats in need and help homeless pets find a loving caregiver. We are advocates for getting veterinarians to the front lines of the animal welfare movement; promoting responsible pet ownership; and vaccinating animals against infectious diseases such as distemper. We also support policies that prevent animal cruelty and that alleviate suffering. We believe helping animals helps us all.
Animal Wellness Action (Action) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty. We champion causes that alleviate the suffering of companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife. We advocate for policies to stop dogfighting and cockfighting and other forms of malicious cruelty and to confront factory farming and other systemic forms of animal exploitation. To prevent cruelty, we promote enacting good public policies and we work to enforce those policies. To enact good laws, we must elect good lawmakers, and that’s why we remind voters which candidates care about our issues and which ones don’t. We believe helping animals helps us all.