Trapper lures wolves from Denali, kills 2; pack's future in doubt

[hue]

Source: Chicago Tribune

The two primary breeding females from the best-known wolf pack at Denali National Park — a pack viewed by tens of thousands of visitors each year — have been killed, one of them by a trapper operating just outside the boundary of Alaska’s premier national park.

The incident has raised an outcry among Alaska conservationists. They're demanding an immediate halt to wolf trapping in what was formerly a buffer zone northeast of the park, an area made famous as the scene of the abandoned school bus in Jon Krakauer’s “Into the Wild.”

The trapper apparently shot an aging horse and left it as a lure for the wolves, according to residents in the area. Park officials, who have unsuccessfully sought to maintain a no-hunting buffer alongside the park, said two wolves, at least one of them from the well-known Grant Creek pack, were fatally snared near the carcass.

One of the dead wolves was equipped with a radio collar attached by scientists; it was the only female from the pack known to have raised pups last year. The pack’s only other known breeding female was found dead near the pack’s den, probably of natural causes. A third wolf, also snared near the horse carcass, was a male that may or may not have been part of the Grant Creek pack, said Tom Meier, wildlife biologist for Denali National Park.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-nn-denali-wolf-20120521,0,4493286.story

[Drale]

1. There is a very easy way to stop this

Anyone caught and convicted of poaching automaticly gets the death penalty

[XemaSab]

3. Including kids who take potshots at the birds with BB guns?

Wow, and I thought I was hardcore!

[Suji to Seoul]

7. public flogging. . .and the parents get it worse.

[tru]

18. BB guns kill

And "kids" have been responsible for the deaths of most of the six endangered whooping cranes shot to death out of the 100 existing in the Eastern migratory population in the last 2-3 years, including First Mom, the first female to raise a chick in the wild in decades.

One criminal penalty was...$1. Estimated cost to raise and ultralight migration train a yearling whooper...over $100,000 mostly from private donations and many months of work.

String em up.

[XemaSab]

23. Oh, I totally agree with that

I just think that the death penalty for "regular" poaching is a little excessive.

[Drale]

21. If its a endangered species yes, at the very least

a public flogging.

[roguevalley]

6. they do in africa. I wish animals could

shoot back

[caseymoz]

10. Then you'd have to face increased terrorism. nt

[Esse Quam Videri]

2. Motherfucker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This guy should be shot and left for dead just outside the park. This has absolutely ruined my evening.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Why the hell would anybody do such a thing?!

I hope this guy's caught and receives the maximum penalty, including taking away his license for life. Dammit all to hell...

[onehandle]

5. Just another gun culturist. nt

[Lasher]

13. Two of these three wolves were killed by snares, not by guns.

Last edited Wed May 23, 2012, 09:51 PM - Edit history (1)

The other one died of unrelated natural causes. But you might accidentally have a minor point - the aging horse was shot with a gun. I don't know how cultured the shooter was.

[onehandle]

22. You're right. It was just a horse. Fuck horses.

The shooter is clearly an excellent citizen gun owner.

[AtomicKitten]

8. Goddammit!!!

[Suji to Seoul]

9. I'm a hunter. I do it legally every year

each deer I shoot i ensure to use every usable part. Don't tell me it's barbaric. It's the only way I can get venison. Same thing with turkeys. Wild turkeys just taste better than that garbage we buy in the store.

Wolves are killed namely for their skin and pelts. This bastard was pouching and baiting. Prison time.

worthless motherfucker!

[Lasher]

14. I am also an ethical hunter.

But I don't believe these three wolves were poached (taken illegally). They were trapped with snares in Alaska, where bait may consist of "...any part of nongame animals, (i.e., agricultural or domestic animals)..." The described trapping tactic has been widely used for hundreds of years - often during winter when a trapper has stumbled across the lifeless carcass of an animal such as a deer.

[Suji to Seoul]

15. baiting is illegal in NY. should be illegal everywhere.

[Lasher]

17. It is legal to use bait while trapping in New York.

New York State Trapping Regulations

[tru]

19. what is legal is not always moral

It's hard to imagine luring endangered animals to their deaths is moral in any universe.

[Lasher]

24. These animals are not members of an endangered species.

Whether by design or by accident, when you refer to them as "endangered animals" you encourage a false conclusion. The Grey Wolf is not in danger of extinction according to any authority such as International Union for Conservation of Nature or The US Fish & Wildlife Service. The State of Alaska has programs to reduce their numbers.

I agree we should take measures to prevent the extinction of wildlife. And since this cause is just, it is best served by knowing facts and sticking to them.

[Suji to Seoul]

20. Trapping yes. . .hunting no. good family friend is a Ret. Major of the DEC

[FailureToCommunicate]

11. Was it Sarah?

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[Suji to Seoul]

16. no, that would require a helicopter that can lift off the ground due to the immense amount

of hot air emanating from that walking hot air balloon, doncha know (wink, wink).

[glinda]

12. Wolf hunting opens up Nov. 3rd for the MINORITY Group to slaughter.

This all started with the idea of protecting farmers now it is just one big hunt. For re-election monies.