Rule of Law

September 5, 2024
By Michael Booth

Someone shot and killed an extremely rare California condor (click here) near McPhee Reservoir in southwestern Colorado this spring, and wildlife officials are now asking for the public’s help in tracking down a poacher who eliminated one of the big birds that have been coaxed for decades into rewilding.

After avian flu in 2023 hit the complex condor revival program, there are only about 85 of the giants flying through canyons of northern Arizona and southern Utah, with occasional forays into Colorado. About 560 exist now from Mexico through the Southwest, and the reintroduction efforts recently expanded to the Pacific Northwest.

The shot condor was found just a day after it was killed in late March, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said Wednesday. The bird’s carcass was discovered west of McPhee Reservoir and northeast of Lewis, in a remote area. Cortez is the nearest larger town....

What is going on with people? This is Colorado where some of the most amazing human rights folks live, but, this? This senseless killing is so out of character for these folks. 

There have been three reintroduced (click here) killed in that state. It is more than livestock owners hating wolves. The entire population of Colorado voted to have reintroduction of wolves and someone(s) are killing them. Whoever it is has no respect for the law, yet alone wildlife.

There was also a wolf killed in Michigan (click here). So, who is giving themselves the right to kill at will? It is against the law. What else do animal killers need to understand? 

A guide thought it was a record size coyote. There is just no excuse. The killer should not have been allowed to keep the animal either.

The guide should have been protective of his client by stating, "That is far bigger an animal then I am used to, it is something I have to report to Fish and Wildlife." How about that idea, huh?

One of the greatest differences (click here) between the two species is size, which can be difficult to estimate determine at a distance. A gray wolf is much larger than a coyote. Wolves weigh 80 to 120 pounds, while coyotes weigh 20 to 50 pounds. Track size measures about four by five inches for wolves, compared to two by two and a half inches for coyotes. 

Ear shape is also much different; wolves have somewhat rounded ears while coyotes have taller, pointed ears. Wolves have a broader, shorter snout, while coyotes have a narrow more pointed nose. A wolf’s howl is long and drawn out, while a coyote produces a shorter, yapping sound. Fur coloration can be quite similar between wolves and coyotes and therefore is not a good characteristic for separating the two species. For more visual comparisons, visit: Wolf Identification: Physical Appearance of Wolves.

Large dogs and wolf-dog hybrids can also be mistaken for wolves, although they usually act more familiar with people. Wolf-dog hybrids can be unpredictable and aggressive. Some hybrids have been released into the wild, living like feral dogs. Distinctions between these hybrids and wild wolves can sometimes be made only by DNA testing.

And forget about the DNA testing, DO NOT SHOOT THEM. There are laws! Hybrids are gigantic (click here for picture above). I have seen hybrid wolves that came from litters by a dog. Why anyone wants a dog that size from that lineage is beyond understanding.

287.279 (ckick here)

Killing of dog pursuing, worrying, or wounding livestock or poultry, or attacking person; damages for trespass; effect of license tag.

Sec. 19.
Any person including a law enforcement officer may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing, worrying, or wounding any livestock or poultry or attacking persons, and there shall be no liability on such person in damages or otherwise, for such killing. Any dog that enters any field or enclosure which is owned by or leased by a person producing livestock or poultry, outside of a city, unaccompanied by his owner or his owner's agent, shall constitute a trespass, and the owner shall be liable in damages. Except as provided in this section, it shall be unlawful for any person, other than a law enforcement officer, to kill or injure or attempt to kill or injure any dog which bears a license tag for the current year

June 13, 2024

...“We just don't know how it got there (click here),” Brian Roell, wolf expert at the state Department of Natural Resources, said.

Separately, authorities who received a report about the DNR's investigation said Thursday that no charges would filed against the hunter or guide.

"The conduct here appears to be based on a reasonable and honest belief they were legally shooting a coyote,” Calhoun County prosecutor David Gilbert told The Associated Press.

The 84-pound wolf was killed roughly 300 miles (482 kilometers) south of the Upper Peninsula. The DNR said it learned through social media about someone shooting a “world record coyote.” But this was no coyote....