Wolves Are Under Threat in Idaho!

We need your immediate attention and support! A recent article exposes the Idaho government's involvement in a deeply concerning practice - hiring a private contractor, Walch's Predator Control Corp., led by Trevor Walch, to kill wolves on private land without the landowners' knowledge or consent. Gray Wolves are under threat in Idaho.

According to a compelling article by Nicole Blanchard in the Idaho Statesman, the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board received a proposal to allocate nearly $50,000 for the extermination of wolves on two ranches. Shockingly, the affected landowners were kept in the dark about this proposal and did not authorize any collaboration with the state or the wolf-killing company.

Trevor Walch, the head of Walch's Predator Control Corp., has a troubling history, including a violation of the Airborne Hunting Act in 2020, but authorities decided to press no charges, and convictions for trapping-related crimes in Nevada during the 2010s. This individual could be entrusted with managing Idaho's wildlife.

Adding to the distress, both ranches are situated near the Wood River Valley, where wolves were reintroduced in 1995. It is disheartening to witness the state targeting wolves for slaughter, creatures they themselves reintroduced to the region not even three decades ago.

Compounding the issue is the fact that the affected ranches already collaborate with a genuine wildlife conservation group, The Wood River Wolf Project. Since 2008, this organization has been actively working with livestock owners, NGOs, community members, and government agencies to implement proactive, nonlethal deterrents, effectively minimizing conflicts between livestock and wolves.

This alarming situation is part of a distressing trend in the Northern Rockies. In 2021, Idaho lawmakers called for the extermination of 90% of the wolf population, disregarding warnings from Idaho’s Department of Fish and Game and conservation groups. Montana has also issued a call for over 300 wolves to be killed this season, with three Yellowstone Wolves already slaughtered as of November 10th.

Gray Wolves urgently need your support in the Northern Rockies! Please join forces with the following organizations dedicated to protecting our nation's wolves:

- Wood River Wolf Project

- Wolves of the Rockies

- Howling for Wolves

- Speak for Wolves

- Relist Wolves Campaign

- Bold Visions Conservation

Let's raise our voices and stand together to safeguard these majestic creatures!