WASHINGTON – The Humane Society of the United States faulted the Wisconsin game y fir being bullied by State Senate Republicans into an early albeit short wolf season. Hunters and trappers in Wisconsin killed more than 80% above the authorities stated quota of 119 gray wolves, leaving conservationists worried. Amanda Wight, wildlife protection program manager for the Humane Society, said there was “a killing frenzy.” At least 216 gray wolves were killed over three days before the state Natural Resources Department shut the season down. There are only about 1,000 wolves in the state. “Most of the wolves killed, 86% were killed using dogs, packs of hounds, and then others were killed using steel-jaw leghold traps and strangling wire neck snares,” said Wight. She also faulted the Trump Admini stration for delisting wolves as an endangered species as an anti-Obama retribution. The result, she said, was a Wisconsin trophy hunt. “What’s worse,” she said, “is that this killing frenzy could repeat itself in November due to a law created by politicians not by scientists.” She noted that wolves have incredibly complex social structures: “Killing a single wolf can cause entire packs to fall apart.”
How many survivors? Best estimates are 800 to 1,000 wolves remain in all Wisconsin after “killing frenzy.”