They are the capstone to the Yellowstone ecosystem. We've collected petitions that we've brought here today from more than 30,000 of our own members and from more than 150,000 Defenders supporters imploring Farm Bureau President Dean Kleckner to reconsider his organization's attack on Yellowstone wolves. The wolves are doing great. They're staying away from livestock except in a few cases where Defenders compensates for any losses. The ecosystem is returning to a more healthy, natural state.
Tourism is up and the wolves are adding to the region's economy.
No naturally occurring wolves are in Yellowstone, and any pre-existing wolves in Idaho are flourishing now only because of the tremendous success of the reintroduction program. If the lower court ruling stands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be charged with physically removing all reintroduced wolves and their offspring from Yellowstone. Canada will not take the wolves back, and territorial issues would preclude such an arrangement regardless. There is not enough zoo space to take even a fraction of the animals, and wild wolves fare poorly in captivity. There is no other appropriate wild space in the United States that could handle a population of wolves such as the one in Yellowstone, and translocating wolves is precarious at best.