Wolf kill worries Richardson - calls for suspension of federal wildlife trap and kill policy

[bigtree]

The Associated Press
Jul. 7, 2007 12:00 AM

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is calling for the suspension of a policy that requires federal wildlife officials to trap or shoot to death any endangered Mexican gray wolf that kills three head of livestock in a year.

The governor said the recent killing of a wolf is a setback to a program to release endangered Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico.

The governor's request comes a day after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shot and killed a female wolf that had been released April 25 in New Mexico.

Spokeswomen for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is in charge of wolf reintroduction, could not be reached for comment Friday.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0707B1-update0707.html


Center for Biological Diversity Statement on Governor Richardson's Call to Suspend Federal Wolf Killing Program

By: Center for Biological Diversity
Jul 7, 2007 at 08:32

New Mexico Governor and presidential candidate Bill Richardson objected today to yesterday's tragic killing of an endangered Mexican gray wolf by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He has launched a police investigation, demanded the immediate suspension of the federal rule allowing the Fish and Wildlife Service to kill wolves, and called for the development of new, ecologically sensitive rules that will ensure the recovery of the majestic gray wolf.

The Center for Biological Diversity echoes the Governor's outrage and supports his call for suspending and reforming the federal rule requiring the killing of wolves.

"This wolf killing is a blatant abuse of federal power. It is undermining the recovery of the gray wolf, and is just the latest in a string of attacks on endangered species by the Bush administration," said Michael Robinson, conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity.

"We applaud Governor Richardson's intervention to save the gray wolf and hope it signals the beginning of the end for the Bush administration's senseless wolf killing campaign. Governor Richardson's leadership is desperately needed to ensure the gray wolf has a fighting chance."

http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_60726.shtml

[Annces]

1. a note of care for the wolves

That is good.

[JitterbugPerfume]

2. I am very impressed with Gov Richardson

I wish his campaign would "take off"

[KittyWampus]

4. Me too! His debate performances seem awful weak though. :(

[bigtree]

6. debates?

those were forums, at best. Dog and pony shows.

[InvisibleTouch]

3. Anyone who supports wolf protection is okay by me.

I'll admit he's almost off my radar screen as far as candidates go - I just don't know much about him - but I certainly wish him well on this!

[papau]

5. Heath position is Medicare at 55, then the Obama no universal but universal access to Senate Health

Plan.

Energy policy is the most thoughtful of the group and does not have the Obama blessing of coal via partial burning to get gas that is then the fuel - the gasification of coal it is called.

Has done the diplomat role in many tough situations and been successful.

I really like some of his policy positions but he may not be ready for prime time interviews as the camera does him no favors and he is not stage wise.

[JitterbugPerfume]

8. It is to bad we chose our leaders by

how pretty they are,

but I agree he does not come across on tv very well:hi:

[Warpy]

7. I can't believe the shortsightedness and greed of some ranchers

Wolves are the only thing that will reduce a coyote population. They do this by competing for the same food sources. If you try to kill coyotes off, they just step up their breeding, net result: more coyotes.

I can't believe how dumb greed makes these guys.

[bigtree]

9. the spectacle of killing the wolf they had just released back into the wild . . .

points up their simplemindedness