Congress Targets Gray Wolves for Extinction

The Care 2 site is urging all citizens to sign an online petition asking legislators to "stop its attack against the Endangered Species Act and to protect the gray wolf."

"The U.S. Senate stood strong against 18 budget riders that would have had severe consequences to our environment, but a serious one was still allowed to slip through," states Cori of The Petition Site. "The gray wolf is an icon of the wilderness of the Northern Rockies, but they have been close to extinction before."

According to the organization, by the 1930s, most of the wolves in the U.S. had been killed, and it is only because of intense reintroduction that population numbers are sustainable today.

"This is the first time that Congress has ever removed an animal from the Endangered Species list and we cannot let this purely political act continue," Cori says in her email.

To take action, click on http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/510/521/869/?z00m=19962787.

According to Earthjustice: "Not since the darkest days of the Bush administration, have we seen such a brazen attack on the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that strips wolves of their federal protections and severely undermines the power of the law to protect other endangered wildlife."

According to the organization, the House Republicans have taken advantage of a must-pass government spending bill to tack on "amendments that further their anti-environmental agenda."

On March 10, Earthjustice reported that if the amendment survived in the Senate version of the bill and is passed into law, it would be the first time a species was exempted from the Endangered Species Act by Congress.

"The threat to the wolves is dire," Earthjustice reported last month. "Earthjustice's legal and legislative experts have already swung into action in response to this threat."

In other animal news, the Greater Good Network is asking activists to help save Africa's lions from also becoming extinct.

"The king of the jungle is in danger: A few decades ago, there were more than 75,000 lions on the African continent," states a mass email from the agency.

To sign the petition, look up http://www.therainforestsite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=4&campaign=DOWAfricasLions2&ThirdPartyClicks=ETE_031511_DOWAfricasLions2_F.

In pet news, in Crofton, MD foster and vetting funds are needed for a dog hit by a car recently who was running loose. If you can foster her, please contact PRFLRESCUE@aol.com. If you would like to help with vetting, go to PITSANDROTTS.NET and use any Paypal link. Note it's for caught dogs. Donations are tax deductible. (Source: Facebook).