Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center Jan 2011 newsletter

INTERACTIVE PDF - CLICK ON ANY URL or button TO VIEW ON YOUR WEB BROWSER

thank you to Dale for her hard work in making these one-of-a-kind and unique bracelets from wolf fur.

Now available for purchase at the CWWC Visitor Center

Wolf Fur Bracelets Limited Edition

Zaltana and Kwahadi

The fiber used to make these unique bracelets is produced from the fur shed each spring by the wolves of the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center.

The wolves shed their downy soft undercoat which allows them to stay cooler in warm weather. Enough fur is gathered to make approximately 25 bracelets each year. A time intensive process to produce the fiber includes gathering, washing, carding, and spinning the fur. The wolves are helping to support themselves each time a bracelet is purchased.

CWWC FREE APP for your iPhone on iTunes • • • •

nine beautiful wallpapers plus a short story about each one facts about wolves, foxes & coyotes • wolf howls tour information - make reservations right from your phone google map and directions

COLORADO COLORADOWOLF WOLFAND ANDWILDLIFE WILDLIFECENTER CENTER | | JANUARY JANUARY2011 2011 | | PAGE PAGE1 1

Record breaking holiday season tour

Urge federal officials to ban the use of Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide to kill wildlife -- and prevent the poisoning of animals struggling to survive.

She had traveled to four states and logged more than 1,000 miles from her home in Montana.

But a female wolf from the Mill Creek pack (known as 314F), met a horrific fate in Colorado -- illegally poisoned by the deadly Compound 1080.

Take action now! Urge the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the use of Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide -- deadly toxins that can kill protected wildlife.

314F’s last moments must have been excruciating. Plagued with convulsions, dizziness and unbearable pain, her incredible journey ended in a terrible death on a lonely Colorado road.

But sadly, she is not alone. Because it is one of the most lethal toxins known to humankind, Compound 1080 was once completely banned.

Illicit stockpiles still remain -- and it

has been used to illegally kill wolves.

Compound 1080 -- so dangerous, it is classified as a chemical weapon in several countries -- is now legally used by the Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services to kill coyotes in nine states.

Compound 1080 and other deadly toxins -- approved by EPA and used by Wildlife Services -- don’t always reach their intended victims. Sodium cyanide -- another highly toxic poison -- kills hundreds of non-target animals each year. Protected wolves, rare swift foxes and even hundreds of pet dogs have been killed by baited traps that are left unattended.

EPA is currently deciding whether to continue to allow the use of Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide by Wildlife Services to kill native wildlife. And we need your help to ban these deadly chemicals.

Wildlife Services continues to rely on poisons -- a heavy-handed approach to deal-

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

|

ing with predation of livestock -- despite the fact that only a small percentage of sheep and cattle are killed by wild predators each year.

Non-lethal alternatives like improved fencing, guard animals, range riders and other methods can safely and effectively keep predators away from domestic animals -- without the use of deadly poisons.

It’s too late for 314F. After traveling more than 1,000 miles from home, she met a grisly fate.

But with your help, we can fight to end the use of the use of Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide -- and prevent the poisoning of wildlife struggling to survive.

Sincerely, Caroline Kennedy Senior Director of Field Conservation Defenders of Wildlife

JANUARY 2011

|

PAGE 2

December 18th was a busy day that started with the Winter Christmas Celebration and ended with the last full moon tour of the year.

A BIG THANKS to everyone that helped out at the Winter Christmas Celebration; Tina, Barb, Vivian and Sara (shown) and Peggy, Pat, Nancy and Darlene (not shown), and to those that helped out that evening; Tracy, Dee, Tina, Barb, Vivian, Sara, Peggy, Pat and Darlene.

Who is missing from this picture?

The Wolf Moon is a full moon that occurs in January.

Its name comes from hungry wolf packs that would howl outside the villages of Native Americans.

Wow. That’s all I can say... 100 people! What a turnout for our Winter Wolf Moon Tour! At the last minute, everyone decided that they wanted to come to the wolf tour/BBQ and we had to do a split of 50 and 50 to make it a more manageable group. It all went great and gives me hope for possibly doing two in January next year.

Many thanks to the dedicated staff and volunteers who contributed their time and for the many loyal fans of CWWC and new ones who made this project possible.

Thank you: Peggy Jehly · Barb Burton · Tina Brown · Dee Sanchez Tracy and Sam Ayars · Vivian Diaz · Jessica Busto · Katie Geist Sindy Schalon · Nancy Makuch · And a special thanks to Brian Siebell and Mike Helsley for cooking over 200 hotdogs and cheese burgers. Darlene COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

|

JANUARY 2011

|

PAGE 3

LOVE IS IN THE AIR...

WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR?

KATIE GETTING KEOKA KISSES

DOUBLE THE LOVE FOR DARLENE

KIM AND KEOKA

BARB IN HEAVEN

TRACY AND KEOKA

A great Princess story...

Sindy and I were pen cleaning today when we went inside Princess’s enclosure - she was keeping her distance as usual.

I normally go in, clean up and leave for the next enclosure pretty quick. I have never spent much time with Princess after cleaning her pen or anything else like scrubbing water bowls. Today was different some how and I remained in the

enclosure after Sindy finished and left.

I wanted to get acquainted with her up close and see if she’d give me any kisses. So, I knelt down close to the ground and waited to see if she’d come to me. After talking to her and waiting a minute she started heading my way, I was excited at just that happening because she can be so shy.

Well, not only did she

come right to me but I also got nice kisses from her. BUT it get’s even better, after kisses she sank down in a play stance and looked at me like “let’s go”! So, I got up and gave her a play stance back and she started to run and prance around in a big circle with her tail tucked between her legs and her hips tucked inward. She was so happy and excited that she just ran around

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

|

JANUARY 2011

like a puppy! I was so shocked and laughing so hard, I looked over at Sindy who was waiting and watching us from outside the enclosure and she was laughing as hard as I was! I have never seen her do this before and I have to say, it was amazing to see her so playful and to be a part of it.

Princess just made my day! ~Tracy |

PAGE 4

Speak Out Against Proposal to Legalize Coyote and Fox Penning in Indiana!

The NRA and other special interest organizations have pressured the Indiana Natural Resources Commission (INRC) to consider a proposed rule to legalize the practice of coyote/fox penning (penning involves sending packs of domestic dogs into a fenced-off enclosure to chase to exhaustion and often tear apart a captive coyote or fox- ostensibly to “train” hunting hounds to better pursue and hunt coyotes and foxes in the wild).

This is after the INRC was considering banning the practice earlier this year! Now more than ever, we need your help to stop the INRC from legalizing this blood “sport”.

Your voice matters!

This comes on the heals of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voting unanimously to PERMANENTLY ban coyote and fox pens statewide earlier this year after public pressure, media exposure, and a multi-state undercover investigation of penning operations led to the arrest of 12 people and the issuance of 46 citations for various violations. The investigation showed how difficult- if not impossible- it is to enforce rules on a practice that is inherently fraught with illicit and unethical behavior.

Now we need to convince the INRC to do the same!

Even if you have already done so, please submit a letter to the INRC using their website urging them to reject the proposal to legalize coyote/fox penning and instead adopt rules to permanently ban this practice. And we encourage all to submit comments- including those who live outside of Indiana as these will be considered in the official record and we need to show strong support for a ban. You must include your full name and address for your comments to be counted in the official record.

To submit a comment online: Go to: http://www.in.gov/nrc/2377.htm • Scroll down to the bottom of the page and find the Coyote/ Fox Dog Training Grounds rule and click on comment on this rule.

• Enter the required information in the boxes provided.

• Express (courteously) your concerns about this issue and that the inherent cruelty and abuse associated with coyote/ fox penning simply cannot be regulated through rule (see suggested points to the right)

SUGGESTED POINTS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR LETTER: (please personalize your letter and use your own words as this will have a much greater impact):

ETHICALLY INDEFENSIBLE: Capturing, transporting, marketing, and penning wild animals for dog training is inherently cruel and should be banned for this reason alone. Pitting domestic canines against their wild cousins is ethically indefensible. Legislators have had the wisdom to ban dog and cock-fighting – largely on ethical grounds – and “penning” parallels these abhorrent practices.

Penned wild coyotes and foxes are often mutilated in a cruel and unconscionable way- as acknowledged by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

ECOLOGICALLY RECKLESS: Transporting and marketing wild coyotes and foxes for penning purposes is ecologically reckless.The Indiana Department of Natural Resources explicitly stated these concerns acknowledging that trade and transportation of wildlife is one of the primary contributors to disease transmission and historically has led to the spread of rabies and other diseases dangerous to wildlife, domestic animals and people.

COUNTER TO SOUND SCIENTIFIC WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT: Coyote and fox penning is not an effective method of coyote and fox control as acknowledged by numerous and prominent scientists and wildlife biologists.There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that penning operations somehow help reduce coyote/fox populations on a state-wide level or mitigate negative encounters with coyotes or foxes. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has acknowledged that there are ecological, ethical, and disease and health related issues associated with penning. Moreover, the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies passed a resolution in 2008 urging the adoption of state-by-state regulations prohibiting the importation or interstate movement of foxes and coyotes for the purpose of stocking coursing pens or for release and pursuit by hounds outside of coursing pens.

Contact Governor Mitch Daniels and urge him to prohibit the practice of coyote/fox penning in Indiana: Governor Mitch Daniels Office of the Governor · Statehouse Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 - 2797 Email the Governor - http://www.in.gov/gov/2631.htm

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

|

JANUARY 2011

|

PAGE 5

in memory

Hello everyone, This letter is a little odd and unusual but never the less.... it’s outcome and message are beautiful in it’s meaning. On January 3rd 2009, my new boyfriend thought that our first date should be one of rememberence, so he booked us a package visit with you all.... tour...pictures and of course....one on one with the furry beauties. It was so intense and unforgetable. We even attended the Valentines “ Lovers” rememberence tour... romance was in the air for sure. I am a native of colorado springs and I just never knew.

The reason I am writing you is my boyfriend Jeff comitted suicide on June 15th 2009 and I find myself reviewing the photos your assistance took of our experience...replaying the beauty we shared. Thank you for all you do to protect our furry friends...and I want to thank you for allowing us the opportunity to embrace what...on our own may be reluctent to experience.

Most of all thanks you for making that one experience one of a kind and one he took with him. I am sure you wont remember me but that’s ok...

I remember you.

Sincerly, Dannita Ashworth

Vivian Diaz, a volunteer here at the center has come up with a beautiful photo idea. She hopes to design a few options like this to make available for sale at the center.... a perfect momento of your day with the wolves.

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

|

Wolf Mythbusting Debunking common myths about wolves Wolves have been demonized and misunderstood for much of human history, long before the first campaigns began to eliminate them from the landscape. Mislabeled as vicious, evil or unpredictable creatures, they have been blamed for all manner of ills, from spreading disease to putting ranchers out of business.

Over the next few newsletters, we will address some of the more common myths in an attempt to clear the air, cultivate greater respect for these native animals, and increase awareness of the wolf’s proper place in the ecosystem.

Myth 2: The wolves that were reintroduced to Yellowstone and central Idaho in the mid-‘90s were non-native “Canadian” wolves The gray wolves currently in the Northern Rockies are the same species (Canis lupis) that once roamed across much of the west before they were eliminated by humans. Many of them descended from wolves that walked across the Canadian border on their own in the 1970s and 1980s to re-colonize their historic range in northern Montana. And the wolves that were trapped in Canada and released in Yellowstone and central Idaho were selected for the similarity of their habitat and prey.

Furthermore, a recent genetic study of 555 wolves in the Northern Rockies failed to find any traces of a remnant native wolf population different from today’s existing gray wolf population.

JANUARY 2011

|

PAGE 6

Wildlife officials in the northern Rockies said they are considering hunting gray wolves in the name of research to get around a recent court ruling that restored federal protections for the animals.

BILLINGS, Mont. — Environmentalists derided the proposal, vowing to challenge in court any new plans for hunting the estimated 1,367 wolves in Idaho and Montana.

“They’re adopting the Japanese whaling approach of holding hunts under the obviously erroneous concept of research,” said Mike Leahy, Rocky Mountain director for Defenders of Wildlife.

“They’re trying to be too clever by half.”

Hunters in Idaho and Montana killed 258 wolves during hunts last fall -- the first for wolves in the lower 48 states in decades. State officials said the hunts proved wolves can be hunted without driving the population to extinction.

But the Aug. 5 ruling from U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy is likely to cancel or postpone wolf seasons scheduled to start next month in the two states.

Molloy had allowed last year’s hunts, and his latest ruling hinged on a more technical matter -- the government’s at-

tempt to treat wolves in Montana and Idaho differently than in neighboring Wyoming, where they were never taken off the endangered list.

Still, the ruling left officials scrambling for new ways to control a predator responsible for increasing attacks on livestock and big-game herds.

Montana wolf program coordinator Carolyn Sime said one option under consideration was to apply for a federally permitted “research hunt” to better understand the effect of public hunting on wolf populations.

In the absence of hunting, more than 1,200 wolves have been killed during the last 15 years by government agents and ranchers in response to livestock attacks. Sime said a research hunt could reveal if a regulated public harvest could accomplish the same task.

“It is sort of counter-intuitive, but we do need to answer those questions,” Sime said. “It may reduce some uncertainty about the effects of human hunting.”

Idaho Fish and Game Deputy Director Jim Unsworth said his state is also considering a research hunt, but added that it “hasn’t got much encouragement”

from federal wildlife managers who would have to sign off on the plan.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Chris Tollefson said he was not aware of any endangered species for which hunting is allowed. He acknowledged his agency was in discussions with the two states about the future of wolf management, but declined to offer details.

“There are a number of ideas out there and a number of opinions. At this point, it’s premature to say where we’re going to go,” he said.

Unsworth said Idaho has also revived a plan to remove wolf packs that have driven down populations of big-game animals including elk and moose. The proposal, which had been shelved when public hunting was allowed last year, involves the controlled killing of wolves by federal or state wildlife agents, not members of the public.

An initial proposal, to remove dozens of wolves from the Lolo region along the Montana border, is likely to be released this week. Similar plans for other parts of the state are expected to follow, Unsworth said.

Those wolf killings, too, are likely to be challenged through a second lawsuit already pending before Molloy.

CWWC INTERESTING FACT: The Center gets all of its meat donated from various sources. The animals’ primary diet consists of beef, venison, elk and chicken. The wolves are fasted twice a week, usually on Thursday and Monday.

Fasting prevents overweight wolves which is very unhealthy. Wolves in the wild typically only eat once a week. On average we go through 60-80 pounds of meat at each feeding.

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

|

JANUARY 2011

|

PAGE 7

L I N K S become a fan of CWWC

For current wolf articles and to be a voice through knowledge

Natural Resources Defense Council www.nrdc.org

Seacrest Wolf Preserve www.seacrestwolfpreserve.org

Mexican Grey Wolves www.mexicanwolves.org

Project Coyote www.projectcoyote.org

Wild Earth Guardians www.wildearthguardians.org

Defenders of Wildlife www.defendersofwildlife.org

NEW ADVANCES AT COLORADO WOLF & WILDLIFE CENTER I would like to take this time to thank Ruby Ridpath, who is CWWC’s Senior Advisor for taking the time to write and create CWWC’s first official Handbook.

In addition, as we grow, we have found it necessary to mature with updating and technology. Ruby, along with Missy Macis (graphics) and Mark Rabenhorst (mobile website) worked closely with the developers to put together our iPhone App, one of the first Apps for wildlife sanctuaries and zoos. That is a big accomplishment for our being a small center compared to other organizations and institutions that are much larger and worth millions.

We are also advancing with technology as we will be recording all of our daily feeding activities, animal enrichment and inspections on an iPad that will be transferred to a permanent record via CD. This allows us to be more efficient as well as “going green” and having records that are easy to review by computer. Ruby has finished setting up the program and forms and it will be put into action this week. There again, this demonstrates CWWC’s ability to be on the leading edge and I am proud of our accomplishments.

RADIO COMMUNICATION CWWC will be purchasing a Motorola base unit and new radios this spring.

With this particular unit and radio strength we will be required to purchase an FCC license. This unit will allow us to communicate so much better than the 2-way radios that we currently use and will be essential for tour communication along with animal checks, field work and, in the event of any emergency, these radios will be dependable.

SUMMER PROJECT Every year I choose a major project that is important to the development and improvement of the Center. This summer I have chose to finish our evacuation site. We need to construct two more enclosures for wolves, two enclosures for fox and a pen for the horses.

I am hoping to drill a well and build a structure for dog food and supplies as well on the property. We will be in search of anyone who may be interested in this building project.

IN NEED OF A Grant writer for: Solar Energy · Buildings/Well for evacuation site · Operating Expenses Information presented on this newsletter is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. Some of the documents in this newsletter may contain live feed references (or pointers) to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that CWWC does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials.

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

|

JANUARY 2011

|

PAGE 9