Stop the slaughter of Yellowstone wolves. Ban hunting around the park perimeter

Target: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP),

Nearly 3 million people from all over the world visited Yellowstone during 2020. Most people visit the park to view rare wildlife such as bison, grizzly bears and wolves, bringing approx. $642M in economic benefit to the area according to NPS estimates. At 3,400 acres, Yellowstone has several resident packs of wolves that are at home in the park. The park lies mainly in WY, but also in ID and Montana (MT). Wolves can travel far from their dens to find food – mainly elk and bison, but also other ungulates, or mates. Unfortunately, a few wolves venture outside of the park’s official but invisible boundaries. When they do, MT permits hunters to wait a few yards outside park boundaries, where they are shot or trapped for no reason. Puppies as young as 6 months have been killed in this manner. There have been no reported instances of predation on livestock in those areas. MT also permits hunters to lure wolves from the park with elk calls or other attractants, only to shoot them as soon as they cross the invisible boundaries. Most visitors to the park have no idea that the wolves they’re watching through binoculars one day can be indiscriminately shot outside the park the next day. This petition is to ask MT FWP to restore protections to wolves by ending the ruthless and unlimited slaughter, and to create a scientific commission to enact a protective “no hunting” boundary around Yellowstone and ensure that wildlife is not lured from the park for any reason.