Dozens of Montana’s wolves have been slaughtered

We’re only three months into Montana’s wolf hunting season, and already, dozens of wolves have been killed.

At least five wolves have already been shot and killed just outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Elsewhere in the Northern Rockies, wolves are being killed with snowmobiles, poisoned with cyanide, or even burned alive. We have to stop this slaughter.

Montana set a goal to kill hundreds of wolves this winter

This winter, Montana has set a goal of 334 dead wolves. That’s about a third of the state’s entire wolf population.

We can’t take Montana’s wolves for granted. During the 19th century, humans wiped out every last wolf in Montana. It took decades of reintroduction, migration and careful protection for the wolves to come back home.

Now, rampant and brutal hunting has driven Montana’s wolves back to the brink.

Do you know how much it costs for a license to kill a wolf in Montana? Twelve dollars. It’s wrong to put a price tag on these loyal and intelligent animals, let alone fixing their value at the price of a deli sandwich.

What’s more, Montana’s rules allow each hunter to kill up to 20 wolves.

What reason could a person ever have to kill 20 wolves in a year? Montana has made no secret of its objective: It wants to kill virtually every wolf in the state.

Even the wolves of Yellowstone National Park are at risk

Even the wolves in Yellowstone are under threat. One of the female wolves killed outside Yellowstone wore a radio collar, proof that she was being studied by the Yellowstone scientists.

Wolves are born to roam, whether that’s state to state or park to park. But in Montana, roaming can get you killed. The hunters don’t care whether you’re from Wyoming, Idaho or even Yellowstone.

Wolves embody the fierce and indomitable spirit of the wild. In a world where many people feel ever more separated from the natural world, wolves are a reminder that wilderness remains, free and untamed.

Environmental Action supporters know: The value of a wolf is incalculably more than a trophy on a hunter’s wall.

Let’s tell Gov. Gianforte to stop allowing the slaughter of Montana’s wolves.