We can’t let these wolves face another deadly winter

Winter in the Northern Rockies can be brutal. But for wolves in the region, last winter was especially deadly — not because of the temperatures, but because they were trapped or shot.

In Montana alone, almost 300 wolves were killed in a single season, and they’ve committed to kill more this winter. In Idaho, the state voted to kill more than 800 wolves out of the 1,000 that remain. And in Wyoming, hunters have been legally luring wolves out of their protected lands to gun them down.

We can’t let these Northern Rockies wolves face another deadly winter.

Wolves are treasures, not trophies

Wolves are incredibly intelligent animals. They form complex family units, educate their young, and collaborate to overcome challenges.

They’re ecologically important, too. After wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, researchers saw improvements in everything from healthier trees to more abundant beaver populations.

Despite the evidence that wolves bring myriad benefits to their environment, a few states are still trying to kill as many as possible. And even when they’re reintroduced to protected lands, they can still be lured out by hunters and shot.

In one instance, on the Wyoming-Colorado border, hunters blared a recorded elk call to draw wolves out of their protected areas, where they shot and killed a member of the very first wolf pack documented in Colorado since the 1940s.

These ruthless wolf hunts have to stop. This fall, we’re strengthening our growing movement of wildlife defenders who will take action against wolf threats whenever they arise. Your donation makes it possible.

Donate today to help save the wolves

There’s a reason the image of a howling wolf inspires such wonder. Wolves represent a time when our wild spaces were truly wild, where creatures lived in a harmonic order that benefited the entire ecosystem. Reintroduction efforts have attempted to restore that harmony.

But if wolf kills continue like the ones we saw last winter, those benefits will be wiped out. And one of our most special wild creatures will be wiped out along with them.

With winter coming, we must act quickly.

Supporters like you are what make this movement possible. But we need it to be even stronger if we’re going to defend these vulnerable creatures. Donate today to help protect wolves.