Target: Idaho State Legislature
Goal: Don’t allow domestic dogs to be used as live bait for wolves.
The recovery of wolf populations in North America has been seen as nothing short of a small miracle. However, the lives of wolves and their domestic counterparts are now threatened by a new law in Idaho.
The Idaho State Legislature has recently passed a law that ranchers can now use domestic dogs as live bait in order to lure wolves into their pastures. Using dogs as bait will allow the ranchers to kill the wolves which are supposedly threatening their livestock.
Domestic dogs are not the only animals which could be used as bait—sheep and goats could be used as well. Using these creatures as bait also exposes them to intense psychological trauma. It is entirely possible that the animals could die from stress before a wolf even comes near them.
The law also has devastating consequences for the wolves. This species was just taken off the endangered species list in December 2011, because the North American population was on the road to recovery. Allowing ranchers to kill wolves will cause the numbers to drop drastically once again. The law also allows the ranchers to use specialized technology in order to kill the wolves. Night vision goggles can be used to track the animals, and airplanes can be used to shoot the wolves from above.
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