Dear Guardian,
A state court—at the prompting of WildEarth
Guardians and our partners—issued a temporary ban on trapping of wolverines in
Montana on Friday less than 24 hours before the trapping season was set to
begin on Saturday, December 1.
Montana is the only state to allow wolverine
trapping in the lower 48, putting the rare species at further risk of
extinction.
A Montana District Court judge halted trapping while
he considers several conservation organizations’ complaint that trapping endangers
Montana’s small, isolated population of wolverines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service believes wolverine populations are in danger of extinction and will propose
that the species be protected under the Endangered Species Act in 2013.
Wolverines are
elusive denizens of frozen mountaintops throughout several western states. They
are perfectly adapted to their high-elevation habitats and will travel miles
and miles atop deep snow and rough terrain using their large crampon-clawed
feet in search of food, mates, and a home.
While this
ultimate survivalist is more than capable of providing for itself, it has no
defense against traps. And now the wolverines in Montana can breathe a sigh of
relief, as trapping was a certain source of cruel deaths.
Montana currently allows five wolverines to be
trapped and killed each season. For now at least, no wolverines will be
trapped.
WildEarth Guardians and our allies are courageously represented by the
Western Environmental Law Center in this case.
We hope this victory for wolverines helps them for the generations to
come!
