Dear NRDC Activist,

Strangled by snares. Run down by vehicles. Slaughtered in dens alongside their pups.

This is the epidemic of cruelty facing gray wolves in the Northern Rockies.

States like Montana and Idaho are radically altering their wolf management approaches to allow for the unfettered killing of gray wolves using barbaric methods — many of which were outlawed long ago. These practices are being pushed by extreme legislators who are undermining their own states' wildlife professionals. Without immediate intervention, this iconic keystone species could once again be decimated.

The good news is that President Biden's Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has the power to institute emergency federal protections for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act that would halt these barbaric practices and restore science and ethics to wolf management. We can't allow these states to reverse decades of wolf investments and progress.

Wolf hunters and trappers are taking to the woods to kill wolves and wipe out entire packs. If we are going to prevent more of these atrocities, we need to act fast:

Urge Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to immediately provide emergency listing protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies. Help us send 50,000 letters in support of wolves by midnight tomorrow.

After you’ve sent your letter, please consider making a special tax-deductible gift to help power NRDC’s fight for gray wolves in court. Right now, your impact will DOUBLE up to $50,000, going twice as far to help protect vulnerable wildlife!

New laws in Idaho and Montana harken back to a time when gray wolves were nearly extinguished. In the early 1900s, extermination programs paid bounties for trapping and killing wolves. But thanks to decades of protection under the Endangered Species Act, gray wolf populations have been able to slowly recover in some parts of their historical range. Through this progress, we have learned just how vital wolves are to maintaining the health and balance of entire ecosystems.

Now, those cruel practices that once drove the gray wolf to near extinction in the U.S. are back with a vengeance. Idaho's new policies allow individuals to kill an unlimited number of wolves, kill pregnant wolves and litters of pups, and run-down wolves with ATVs and snowmobiles. Montana's state wildlife agency has been directed to allow similarly extreme, cruel, and outdated tactics, including a wolf bounty.

These policies are driven by politics, not science — and threaten the lives of thousands of wolves. Speak out TODAY to urge the Biden administration to issue emergency protections for gray wolves before it's too late.

Wolves are critical to our planet's biodiversity and ecological balance. They cull sick elk and deer, making the remaining herd stronger and faster. They keep coyotes in check, which allows smaller animals and their predators like eagles and hawks to flourish. And gray wolves force elk to stay vigilant and move frequently. This allows aspen, cottonwood, and other trees to regrow and beavers and riparian birds to thrive.

In addition, gray wolves hold deep cultural and spiritual significance for many Indigenous people. Hundreds of tribes have banded together to urge the federal government to restore national protections for the gray wolf.

And along with these tribal leaders, scientists, wildlife managers, and even hunters have called for science and ethics to be restored on wolf management.

Now it's your turn: Help us send 50,000 letters to Secretary Haaland by tomorrow at midnight. Let's make it clear to her that gray wolves need emergency protections now!

Wolves can't speak up for themselves — they need our help. I hope you'll help fight back to protect this iconic species that means so much to so many. Please send your message now in support of a future where wolves can thrive.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Sherry
Wildlife Advocate, Nature Program, NRDC