FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oregon Wild Reaction to Oregon Wolf Video

Reaction quote from Rob Klavins - coordinator of the Oregon Wild Wolf Pack advocacy group.

B300 ("Sophie") after she was radio collared by wildlife officials in July (photo by ODFW)

On November 12, ODFW staff filmed 10 wolves traveling through snow in the Imnaha Wildlife Management Unit of the Wallowa Whitman National Forest. The wolves are believed to be part of a pack headed by the alpha female B300, a wolf naturally dispersed from Idaho and first spotted in Oregon in January 2008. That month, Oregon Wild members voted to name B300, Sophie, in an effort to draw attention to wolf recovery. Of the first four wolves to return to Oregon since the animal was exterminated over 50 years ago, only Sophie remains.  Two were shot by poachers and a third was hit by a car.

Oregon Wild is currently party to the Earthjustice lawsuit seeking to reinstate Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies (including the eastern third of Oregon).

Statement of Rob Klavins – coordinator of the Oregon Wild Wolf Pack advocacy group:

“Watching the video yesterday was exhilarating. I’ve seen a lot of bad news related to wolves fly across my computer screen in the past few months. Poaching in Idaho. Wolves chased down on ATVs in Montana. Research wolves gunned down outside Yellowstone. I think most Americans, and Oregonians, have been pretty appalled at the wolf carnage of the past few months. So, to see a good sized pack of what appear to be healthy wolves making their way across the eastern Oregon landscape without the threat of a shotgun blast – well, that’s pretty exciting.”

“Of course, even here in Oregon, a vocal minority is arguing that these wolves have too much protection. Even with the new confirmation of the size of this pack, we still have only 15 or so wolves in the entire state. Now is not the time to take decision-making power away from our professional wildlife managers and allow anyone with a gun and pasture to shoot wolves. We hope that Sophie and her new family can continue to thrive out in the wilds of the Wallowas.”

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