Un espoir pour les loups en Alaska

Citation :

Something remarkable happened earlier this week: Alaska’s anti-wolf governor lost his primary. And he lost big.

In a three-candidate race for the Republican nomination, current Governor Frank Murkowski came in third well behind the winner, former Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin. Palin will now face former Governor Tony Knowles in the November election to determine Alaska’s next governor.

What, you may ask, does this have to do with wolves? A lot.

Governor Murkowski has presided over one of the worst massacres of wolves since the 1950s. As governor, he appointed a Board of Game that has bent over backwards to maintain the state’s barbaric aerial gunning program.

Since the program was reinstated a few years ago, hundreds of wolves have been killed chased and shot by marksmen using low-flying aircraft. From November 2005 to May 2006 alone, more than 150 wolves were killed.

Worse, Murkowski’s hand-picked Board of Game has worked to expand the program by allowing aerial gunning of brown bears and the use of snow machines to chase, harass and kill wolves.

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and Defenders of Wildlife -- along with local groups like Alaskans for Wildlife -- have worked hard to oppose Murkowski’s anti-wolf agenda, along with the folks he charged with implementing it.

Earlier today, our sister organization Defenders of Wildlife filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging Alaska’s aerial wolf killing program. The lawsuit calls for science-based conservation and rejects back room decision-making on wolf management.

And that’s not all. Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund’s support for Alaskans for Wildlife is bearing fruit. Local activists are incredibly close to collecting the signatures they need to put the issue of same day aerial gunning -- also known as "land and shoot" -- back on the ballot, where Alaska voters have twice before voted to ban this reprehensible practice.

Murkowski’s departure is an opportunity to work with a new governor to promote science-based conservation and put an end to the baseless slaughter of Alaska wolves.

Former Governor Knowles has been an outspoken advocate for science-based management. [1] Palin has not taken a specific position on aerial gunning, but does say on her campaign website that she is committed to “dealing with predator control issues and management based on sound science.” [2]

Murkowski’s defeat is no guarantee that the State of Alaska will adopt a more sensible approach to wolf management, but it is a hopeful sign… and that’s something that wildlife lovers of all political stripes can appreciate.

source Defenders of Wildlife Action fund
infos sur la défaite du Gouverneur : http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/washington/24alaskacnd.html?ex=1313985600&en=45b5420ee62be74e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss