Doing right by wolves
Adapted from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle
by Kim Hightower
Kim Hightower is a community fellow and the associate editor for PAN Works, where she curates the Medium page and engages with scholars across disciplines who are working to forge interconnections and improve relationships among people, animals, and nature. She is a humane education professional and supports animal protection nonprofits through editorial projects, community engagement, and educational programming.
Wolves across Northern Rockies states have long been in peril, the subjects of sociopolitical conflicts and deeply-entrenched, historical and cultural associations. Now, they are facing increased threats due to newly proposed legislation that, if passed, could deplete their numbers and allow for the expansion of existing cruel, inhumane recreational hunting practices. The potential ease in regulations harbors tragic consequences for individual animals and population sustainability in Greater Yellowstone and throughout Montana.
In Montana, recreationally snowmobiling over wildlife such as coyotes is legal, alongside a slew of other stomach-turning activities that often take place in conjunction with the initial act of capture or incapacitation. Wolves can be hunted and killed in myriad unethical ways, painful trapping and neck snares being some of the most troubling, often dovetailing with bounty programs. If such allowances were not enough of a blow, these practices play out across vast wild areas and can be difficult to regulate.
HB 176 is a highly disconcerting bill introduced this legislative session. It could substantially lift what few regulations do exist on trapping and sport hunting, severely compromise the safety of individual wolves and their packs, and threaten the health of the regional population. HB 176 (as amended) would allow an unlimited wolf hunting quota when the population is at or above 550 wolves, provided that the Fish and Wildlife Commission authorizes various permissions during the unlimited quota.
Problematically, animal voices are largely absent from conversations and decisions that have immeasurable impacts on their well-being. It is therefore imperative that wildlife agency professionals and lawmakers alike understand basic ethical frameworks central to making decisions that affect wild lives, uplifting the mixed, multi-species communities model urged by philosopher Mary Midgley and voting in laws that are founded on science, understanding, respect, and justice for other beings and the natural world that supports all life.
Fighting for the agency and wellbeing of wolves is part of a much bigger picture. In working to interrupt cycles of violence and instead foster compassionate worldviews, we must consider the complex needs, claims, and capabilities of other-than-human animals, centralizing right science and ethical coexistence. Education and infusing ethics into policy spaces are crucial to generating lasting social change, disciplines that are unquestionably pertinent to advocating for wolves today. Current proposed legislation sanctions increased harm to wildlife, which is deeply concerning to many Montanans who value and care about the lives of wild beings, and who understand that we are part of a shared community of life.
As citizens who have some agency in trying to reach the hearts and minds of decision-makers, it is our moral responsibility to speak on behalf of other animals. A glaring fault line here is the overt lack of awareness around this issue; as such, there is power in sharing your voice and making your opinions heard — so that policies can begin to better reflect public values.
Both the public and our representatives should dig deep and see what unites us. Expressly, this is our common nature and the capability to use our humanity for good — to do right by others and build strong communities that support us all and which are rooted in understanding and care. It is from this place that we can connect with our humanness, our very own wellspring for compassionate action.
There are myriad ways to have your voice heard on HB 176 (and other harmful wildlife bills up this session, including HB 219). On the Montana Legislature site, you can check the status of the bill; submit comments to the committee or specific legislators; sign up to testify virtually when hearings are scheduled (upcoming, as HB 176 has just passed through the House floor and will have a public comment period with the Senate Committee); or submit written testimony. Since voting occurred largely along party lines in the House, you can also call and email partisan members of the Senate directly. Best of all is attending hearings and testifying in person at the Capitol. Importantly, stay tuned-in to organizations seeking to protect wolves and wildlife (e.g., Trap Free Montana) through sustained and timely action.
Note: At the time of publication, HB 176 passed through the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee and subsequently succeeded on the House floor. It will now advance to the Senate Fish and Game Committee, where your voice is urgently needed.
A very similar bill (HB 222) passed through Committee but was thankfully voted against on the House floor. Let’s urge Senators from both parties to follow, and vote “No” on HB 176.
Please visit PAN Works for more about our work on ethics and animal wellbeing.
