This weekend hunters were able to shoot wolves for the first time in 48 years in Michigan.
The Great Lakes Gray Wolf was taken off of the endangered species list in 2011, opening the door to each state allowing the hunting of the animal. The Michigan Natural Resources Commission made that approval earlier in the year by a vote of 6 to 1.
Rocker Iggy Pop, a native of Michigan, has written a letter to Governor Rick Snyder protesting the hunt, charging that the state twisted the truth and used outright lies to rationalize their action.
November 12, 2013
Dear Governor Snyder,
As a Michigan native and someone who has cared about animals, both wild and domestic, for as long as I can remember, I was dismayed to learn from my friends at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Keep Michigan Wolves Protected campaign, that a bill you signed last May (S.B. 288/P.A. 21) gave Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC) the authority to decide which animals can be hunted (an authority which used to reside solely in the Legislature) which resulted in the first authorized wolf hunt since wolves underwent state protection in 1965.
Especially disturbing is that this hunt has been authorized despite the fact that there are currently only an estimated 658 wolves in your state (a decline from 673 a year ago), 43 of whom will now be targeted by trophy hunters. Can you truly believe that bringing the wolf back from the brink of extinction only to allow them to be hunted for trophies is the right thing to do? It’s already legal in Michigan to kill wolves in order to protect livestock or pets, yet despite this, the NRC has authorized a wolf hunting season against the recommendations of Michigan’s own wolf experts.
It is shameful the lengths the legislature and the executive branch will go to hunt this iconic creature while at the same time opening the door for other species to be hunted, like the Sandhill Crane. Allowing the NRC to list wolves, and other animals, as a game species with no oversight from voters circumvents Michiganders long established right to be a check and balance on the legislature. The legislature’s actions are nothing more than an attempt to shield their actions and take away the voters’ rights. And truly, if the 255,000 signatures gathered by the Keep Michigan Wolves Protected campaign in support of PA 520 (which designated wolves as a game species by the legislature) to a referendum vote isn’t a perfect example of what the voters in Michigan want, I don’t know what is.
To further compound the issue Mlive.com just unveiled several investigative reports that reveal the state used ‘half-truths’ and ‘falsehoods’ to support authorizing a hunting season on wolves in Michigan. The reports make clear that the decision to approve wolf hunting was based on fraudulent information and not sound science.
I am asking all of my fans in Michigan to sign up and help gather signatures to reverse this decision and protect the wolf from future hunts. The senseless killing of these majestic animals for sport is a disappointment to the people of Michigan and a stain on its Government. I implore you to do the right thing by staying the hunt and allowing the people’s voice to be heard on PA 520.
Sincerely,
Iggy Pop
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