A Project of Sage Steppe Wild
Note that the story below is a much longer replacement for the original story I posted.
Wildlife investigators: Poison killed Colorado wolf. By Catherine Tsai. Associated Press in the Denver Post.
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Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Comments
We talked about this wolf a couple of years ago.
http://wolves.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/long-wandering-wolf-found-dead-in-ne-colorado/
http://wolves.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/montana-wolf-that-made-it-to-colorado-is-back-in-wyoming/
http://wolves.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/yellowstone-wolf-visits-colorado/
A person here was thinking about a FOIA suit to get this info. Not sure if this is all that she wanted…but it is a start. Terrible way to die…
Curious…still legal to use 1080 collars?
. . . but, JimT, it was unapproved use! 😉
Ralph, the small amount of information does not say that..because under certain circumstances, this compound can still be used, I would suspect the wolf was peripheral damage to another operation that was going on..but I would like to have some more information..
With more information, it could be shown that endangered species are becoming collateral damage to other operations..
Save Bears,
I was being sarcastic on this comment.
Save Bears,
I have posted an updated story. It does not look like this 1080 was being used in any agricultural operation. It was set out on the roadside.
According to the article, it is illegal to use in any form in Colorado,so I guess that would mean it was an “unapproved” use. Seriously, we need to get ride of that sh*t. If any of us non-ranches had any,we would be thrown in prison for being a terrorist.
I would really be interested in more information on this particular situation..
Jim, in certain circumstances 1080 is still legal, but it is very limited and it is not easy to get authorization to use this compound..so I do hope more information is forthcoming…
I would love to know what the criteria are for the use of the collars, and how prevalent the use is given the incredible toxicity and horribleness of the death to the species.
why did it take so long for FWS to release this info on a 2009 1080 wolf kill? does it relate to the 5 or so wolves poisoned with 1080 in Idaho in early 2000s? How about the 13 dogs and 3 cats poisoned with 1080 in Salmon, Idaho from January – April 2010 (including my 2 dogs)?
1080 is available in Mexico, 2 provinces in Canada, NZ, and Australia – made at one factory in Alabama – Tull Chemical. The liquid used by Wildlife Services is dyed bright yellow (same color as M&M candy), the powder is dyed black, and then the green dye is used for poisoned grain used to control rodents (supposedly to avoid inadvertent bird deaths).
1080 was banned by Nixon but then APHIS predecessor in USDI wanted limited use for predator control collars. That is the only legal use
The key word is, there is still a legal use for it..
I think a secondary, but just as important key, are the criteria for getting the collars for use….
I was coming here to post this article from the Denver Post. There’s a little more info than the article in the OP.
“Today its only legal use is in collars used to protect sheep and goats from coyotes, and only in certain states. Colorado is not one of them. “
Interesting. And given a few other comments, this appears to be a deliberate baiting issue out on the side of the road, so to speak. It is still depressing to me that USFWS is just as close minded and mouthed about this as they were under Bush…
I live in NW Colorado and I am wondering which one of my neighbors did this. Without a specific location of where the wolf carcass was found, I can only speculate.
Rick H
Rick, I have read reports that she was found near Rifle, around “No Name Ridge”. Dont know if that sounds familiar to you. I dont know that area of the state.
MOD: I was pretty sure I put the link in the last post, but here it is again. Feel free to edit as necessary:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17056819?source=rss
Thank you, PG. I will make this link into the one on the post
I have been in contact with Ed Bangs and Randy Hampton (CO Division of Wildlife) about 341F more than a few times and yes I was going to file a FOIA because no one was talking. At least the cause of death of her death is finally out in the open. I think its a shame that this information took so long to be made public. I suspect that because of the length of time that has passed since her death the perpetrator will likely never be caught. If any of the government agencies involved really cared this information would have been made public long ago. There is still nothing posted on CO Division of Wildlife’s website even though they have a Game Thief Program. The amazing spirit of 341F was just another worthless dead wolf to those agencies involved.
Sounds like there is more info to be had, especially about the use of collars vs. baiting, and if the former was legal. Perhaps Wildlife Guardians are now more interested in filling in the gaps…
What do you think is more abundant in the Northern Rockies, wolves or poachers? How many wolves are in Sublette County, WY as oppossed to the number of wolf packs?
I think far too many don’t want to acknowledge or admit that poaching is responsible in some way for the low elk #s. People seen to be obsessed with wolves and blaming them for every single thing it seems.
http://www.kbzk.com/news/bull-elk-poached-near-butte-fwp-seeks-info/
It really goes to show you how sick those people are. They would not mind or care if 1080 was out there as long as it killed some wolves in the process. Who cares about all of the other living creatures that die because of this poison as long as it kills some wolves.
Sad that man still even has access to, or employs these kinds of poison. A huge step down the evolutionary ladder.
I haven’t spoken to anyone from the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and while I have spoken to Ed Bangs and others in the past, but I don’t know if it’s the killing of a wolf, or the presense of 1080 that is inciting them to investigate this crime further.
It took a long time to come up with a cause of death for a wolf. Due to the fact that 1080 is completely illegal in Colorado, I wonder if the tox lab just didn’t look for it until recently having exhausted other options.
It also continues to bring up the questions regarding wolves in Colorado. A collared wolf took a meandering wander southward and eventually ended up in Colorado. We know this, because she was collared.
I get, albeit infrequently, reports of wolf-like animals people have seen in Colorado asking if there are any here. The most recent spoke of 2 black, large canines seen near Elizabeth, CO by someone who owns hybrids and they were convinced they were looking at wolves (not dogs, and not even other hybrids).
Are there wolves in Colorado? I think there are multiple answers. Official answer: no, not confirmed. However, it seems highly unlikely that such a relatively safe haven for wolves with such a plentiful food supply isn’t home to at least a few. Lone wolves? small packs? breeding pairs? no idea.
On a final note, Compound 1080 has no place in civilized society. I am not a fan of Nixon, he had many problems. But the man signed the ESA into law and he signed the law which banned Compound 1080. When the politician which most identify as the most corrupt in modern history can have such a, what is truly liberal, attitude towards protecting American wildlife, you have to wonder to what degree things have changed in DC to be where we are now.
Really sad..I wonder when will man stopp doing all these!!