By Joy Zhang ’14

On September 25, the Center for Biological Diversity gave the public a chilling message, “Montana only has 625 wolves left after last year’s killing season. Not satisfied with the massacre, the state has lined up 10 times as many rifles as there are wolves to finish the job.”

The hunting season began September 7 and is extended to March 15, making it the longest season yet. Montana also lowered the price of kill permits from previous years. They are now selling for $19, allowing up to five kills per person. Six thousand people have already paid the fee, meaning Montana authorized the killing of 30,000 wolves when there are only 625 left in the state.

Montana is on the verge of wiping out their entire wolf population. The killing season, that is happening right now, is unjustified and detrimental to the environment.

Unlike the popular deer hunting in Maryland, which is acceptable because they are overpopulated, wolves can’t be used for meat. This seems to be “pure thrill kills,” says Professor Jonathan Turley of George Washington University. Montana also generated huge revenue by killing its own wolves, so “hunting them became a self-serving process,” says Wolf and Wildlife Studies expert Jay Mallonee.  There is no real purpose to exterminate the state’s wolves. It is simply a hobby and an attempt to make money for the state.

Montana’s cruel killing season puts its entire environment at risk of absolute chaos. In addition to the inhumane aspect of slaughtering wolves, there are far worse problems. Wolves are essential because they keep ecosystems at equilibrium, help other species acquire food, improve soil quality and prevent the spread of disease.

Without wolves, the population of deer, elk and moose will balloon, which will cause a chain reaction of other animal species suffering or thriving at unusual numbers. When certain species are overpopulated, they can overgraze fragile ecosystems, putting every animal and plant in that ecosystem at risk.

When wolves make their kills, they scatter the carrion (rotting animal flesh) over the landscape. This benefits various animal species, because it provides food for scavengers. Eagles, owls and beetles are just a few that feed on leftover carcasses from wolf kills.

Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park conducted a study in 2009 and found that wolf-killed elk carcasses dramatically enhanced levels of nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil. Wolves indirectly improve soil quality, which helps plants thrive in the area, providing great food and shelter for other species.

Deer and elk congregate in smaller groups when wolves are present. This reduces the transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease. Wolves also tend to kill the sick animals, which in turn limits the amount of time the sick animals can spread the illness. Wolves keep deer and elk populations healthy.

There is hope to change the unfortunate fate of the 625 wolves left in Montana. The Center of Biological Diversity accepts donations to their Wolf Defense Fund and Mallonee has a petition against Montana Governor Steve Bullock to stop the wolf killings on change.org.