Crow Busters Forum

from the AP Nov 21 2012:
MANTEO (AP) — Federal wildlife officials say a fourth protected red wolf has been shot to death since North Carolina adopted a new rule allowing coyotes to be hunted at night with spotlights.


from WNCT News Nov 26 2012:

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—After four endangered wolves were killed, a North Carolina court today granted conservation groups’ request to stop a temporary state rule that allows spotlight hunting of coyotes at night in the five county area of eastern North Carolina inhabited by the world’s only wild population of about 100 red wolves. The Southern Environmental Law Center filed the motion for preliminary injunction and a request for expedited hearing in Wake County Superior Court on behalf of the Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Animal Welfare Institute.

What they are not saying is that officially, the US Fish & Wildlife Service is not releasing the time of day of death of these wolves.  Not to the press, or to me, or to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.  Unofficially, the NCPHA has learned from a source inside the USFWS that NONE of these wolves has been shot at night.

Our sources inside the NCWRC have stated that wolf mortality is actually below that of previous years.

Also, according to the USFWS, the real problem that is endangering the red wolf is the cross breeding of red wolves with coyotes.

See the US Fish and Wildlife Service study http://library.fws.gov/Pubs4/endangered_red_wolves.pdf page 5

Which states "This hybridization is generally accepted as the final factor that resulted in the near extinction of the red wolf."

So why is the AP and other media sources stating that these wolves have been shot after the NCWRC has allowed night hunting of coyotes?

And why are these environmental groups suing the NCWRC to stop increased opportunities to take coyotes, (allowing night hunting,) when it's the presence of coyotes, and not night hunting, that is endangering the native red wolf population?