Keep Michigan Wolves Protected is a coalition of conservation groups, animal welfare organizations, wildlife professionals, hunters, ranchers, and other Michigan citizens working to protect Michigan's fragile wolf population.
Wolves have been on the protected list in Michigan for nearly 50 years. There are fewer than 700 wolves in Michigan and their numbers are only now starting to recover. It's not right to spend decades bringing the wolf back from the brink of extinction only to turn around and allow them to be killed for sport.
It’s already legal in Michigan to kill wolves in order to protect livestock or dogs. The wolf population is simply not large enough to support the hunting of wolves for sport. It's unnecessary and reckless given the decades spent trying to protect the wolf population in Michigan.
People don't eat wolves, and it's just pointless trophy hunting for no good purpose. Wolf hunting may involve especially cruel and unfair practices, such as painful steel-jawed leghold traps, hunting over bait, and even using packs of dogs to chase down and kill wolves.
In December 2012, after Michigan state politicians rushed a 'lame duck' bill through the House and Senate, Governor Snyder signed legislation into law that would designate wolves a "game" species and authorize the Natural Resources Commission to establish a hunting season.
On March 27, Keep Michigan Wolves Protected submitted 253,705 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office, that, when certified, will place any plans for a wolf hunting season on hold until Michigan voters decide the issue at the ballot box in November 2014. During a short 67-day period, the coalition far surpassed the 161,305 valid signatures needed to qualify for the ballot.
It is the goal of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected to preserve the longstanding Michigan prohibition on the trophy hunting of this iconic species.
Keep Wolves Protected is endorsed by a number of organizations and citizens including: