Going Green

Monday, October 1, 2007

Wolves in Conflict

Sometimes you wonder if doing the right thing is the right thing...

Rancher Kills Wolf to Save Cattle, Violates Endangered Species Act

By Randy HallCNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor

October 01, 2007(CNSNews.com) - A Montana rancher killed a wolf to protect his cattle herd, and now federal officials say he violated the Endangered Species Act. This apparently extreme instance led one conservative analyst to claim that the act is doing more harm than good, because it forces landowners to "shoot, shovel and shut up."

Roger Lang is a California entrepreneur who owns the 18,000-acre Sun Ranch, south of Ennis, Mont. Over the last 10 years he has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to help ensure that his ranch is set up and operates legally, especially in conformity with the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Lang has experimented with fences, herders, and other nonfatal means to prevent his livestock from being killed by wolves, which had virtually been wiped out in the area during the 1970s but were reintroduced by federal officials in 1994.After five yearling heifers were killed this summer, Lang decided...(complete story here).

Conflicts with wolves will continue. Period. The laws and their enforcement need to make sense. Where is Solomon when you need him?

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