Perspective

take many of them, or very much time, to wreck havoc on the fragile population of 1,350 wolves that live on the vast public lands of these two Western states.

Contrary to the concerns of some, wolves are not killing all the elk. The latest available Idaho Department of Fish and Game figures indicate that in 2008 hunters in Idaho killed more than 18,900 elk.  This is the fifth largest harvest in the last 10 years.  What the wolves are doing is making elk more alert and cautious and thus more challenging to hunt.

The other concern is livestock depredation. Livestock losses have been far less than ever predicted. Wolves cause less than 1% of all livestock mortalities. Furthermore, as of 1987, wherever wolves are protected by the Endangered Species Act, ranchers can be reimbursed for livestock losses attributed to wolves through funds administered through The Bailey Wildlife Foundation. Where wolves have been removed from the ESA, the federal government has passed a bill allocating $1 million per year for the next five years to compensate ranchers for any losses attributed to wolves.