Cabelas and Sportsman's Warehouse Sponsor Wolf-Killing "Derbies"
January 28, 2010
Three Points for
Killing a
Wolf
Contestants at three recent “predator derbies”
were awarded three points for each wolf they killed, with entry
fees going to support anti-wolf litigation. The outdoor retailers
Cabela’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse helped sponsor the
events.
Entry fees for the predator derbies held in December
and January are being used for anti-wolf litigation.
Please forward this message to at least three
friends.
How much is a wolf’s life
worth?
Three
points -- according to Idaho’s misleadingly named Sportsmen for Wildlife,
who recently held three “predator derbies,” competitions where contestants vied to see who can kill the most wolves and
other animals over a two-day period.
Cabela’s
and Sportsman’s Warehouse -- two major outdoor retailers -- sponsored the
derbies, with the entry fees for these brutal competitions
funneled to support anti-wolf lawyers and lobbyists working to
keep wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies off the
endangered species list… and squarely in the crosshairs of those who would
do them harm.
Predator derbies targeting wolves are a hold-over
from a more brutal time.
It was a
time when wolves were hunted, poisoned and trapped to extinction in
Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies, a time before wildlife
biologists recognized the important role that wolves play in healthy and
balanced western ecosystems.
We’ve learned a lot since that dark time. Since wolves were reintroduced to Greater Yellowstone and central Idaho
fifteen years ago, we’ve seen local ecosystems rebound as these top
predators helped prevent overgrazing of foliage by elk and
deer.
According to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, there
are 150,000 elk in Montana, compared to 90,000 in the mid 1980s when
wolves started to make their way back to the state. Wyoming's elk
population is up 35% since then to 95,000, while Idaho's is up 5% to
115,000.
We know
that your voices can make a difference. In November, an independent
grassroots campaign convinced Nikon, a previous corporate sponsor of these
predator derbies to withdraw their support. Please
take action now.
Defenders
of Wildlife is committed to working with responsible businesses, ranchers,
conservationsists and concerned citizens to ensure a lasting future for
wolves in American West. But we need your help.
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of
Wildlife
P.S. To get Cabela’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse to end
their sponsorship of wolf-killing predator derbies, we need to make a lot
of noise. Please
take action now and forward this message far
and wide (or at least to three friends)!