IRONIC? WILDLIFE SCIENCE CENTER ASKING WOLF LOVING PUBLIC FOR DONATIONS

I'll get to the part about the Wildlife Science Center asking for money but please stick with me just for a moment...

When we Minnesotans first learned wolves would be removed from the Endangered Species List and that our DNR was chomping at the bit to schedule their first wolf hunting season, citizens stepped up to prevent the slaughter of wolves.  Countless people started volunteering their time and reaching out to other more well known individuals or entities to help with their mission to save the wolf.   One such place I've been told that wolf advocates called upon to help was the Wildlife Science Center and the person that was apparently contacted was Peggy Callahan.  She refused.  Now, I know little about Peggy Callahan other than what I've read about her research on wolves along with Dr. David Mech (READ MORE INFO HERE) and an article she wrote for the Star Tribune back in 2012.  So, I want to go back to 2012 because that particular article really hurt the mission of wolf advocates.  It was at a time when the desperation to save wolves from slaughter was at its most fervent and emotions were raw when it came to this subject.  It was at that moment Peggy Callahan chose to write this:

http://www.startribune.com/opposition-to-wolf-hunt-seems-purely-emotional/179739061/

So let me look at Peggy Callahan's point #1 - I served as an advisor to the wolf roundtable in the late 1990's. 

For those that may not know, in 2001 there was an agreement that should the wolf be removed from the ESL there would be a 5-year moratorium on wolf hunting and trapping in order to monitor the species and any future decisions on the wolf would be based on sound biological data including comprehensive population surveys.  Here is an excerpt from the Howling for Wolves organization page:

http://www.howlingforwolves.org/about-gray-wolf

The above information copied from the HFW website is taken from the Wolf Management Plan for Minnesota. HERE IS A COPY OF THE WOLF MANAGEMENT PLAN

That wolf management plan was tossed out the window in 2012, there had not been a wolf population count since 2008 (CLICK HERE FOR MORE POPULATION DATA), the DNR waited to do a count until AFTER the first wolf hunting season.  If you watch the wolf hearing in 2014 HERE and go to the 1:42 mark you'll listen to Rep. Isaacson address the issue of wolf count data.  He focuses on there not being a good scientific method of counting wolves in Minnesota.

Let's move on to Peggy Callahan's Point #2 - Science appears to have left the room.

Science.  There is no scientific basis for a wolf hunt. There is the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, the Safari Club International (trophy hunting organization), Sportsmen's Alliance (trophy hunting organization), and Minnesota State Cattleman's Association all wanting our state to allow wolf hunting but science is not pushing for a wolf hunt.

Peggy, in her own article, chooses to cite the work of several scientists including Rolf O. Peterson.  Peterson has a BA in Zoology and PhD in Wildlife Ecology.  Rolf Peterson is a scientist and he's against wolf hunting.  He feels so strongly about protecting wolves that in 2015 he signed THIS LETTER to CONGRESS asking them to uphold the ruling by a federal judge to keep the Great Lakes Wolves on the Endangered Species List.   On that letter to congress are the signatures of several other SCIENTISTS that object to a delisting of gray wolves.

Peggy Callahan point #3 - Many of us hope to and expect to see a decline in the illegal take of wolves due to hunting opportunities.  

Prior to 2015 the DNR did not release wolf mortality reports to the public.  There was no data for citizens to sift through on wolf poaching. In addition to that, research conducted by Adrian Treves, PhD of the Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies and the Carnivore Science Lab has shown public attitudes towards wolves do not improve when hunting is allowed.  To read his data CLICK HERE.

Dan Stark, wolf specialist at the Minnesota DNR, was asked directly during the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy Committee Hearing on the wolf in Jan. 2014 about the data related to wolf poaching and his response was "in regards to poaching numbers we do not have a direct measure of that."

LISTEN TO DAN STARK TESTIMONY HERE AT 1:56 MARK

So we know that public attitudes towards wolves does not improve when hunting and trapping is allowed and we know here in Minnesota there is no way of directly measuring the illegal killing of wolves so there is no way of determining whether poaching goes up or down with a wolf hunting season.

Peggy Callahan point #4 - Perhaps the most controversial aspect of this take among its opponents is the use of traps to capture wolves.  I find this easy to defend.  Unbeknownst to many wolf admirers, the vast majority of wolves that are caught for radio-collaring purposes are caught by foothold trap.  When I assisted Rolf Peterson with wolf capture, the trap we used on Isle Royale to radio-collar wolves looked like the traps my trapper friends will be using on wolves this fall.

I'll skip the part where she refers to her "trapper friends" out there killing wolves and just get to the point about trapping in general.  There are several types of traps used on wildlife; snares, conibear traps, foot-hold traps… all of them inhumane in my opinion.  There isn't only concern about traps coming from animal advocates, wildlife researches have also expressed their dislike for this approach to studying various species and because of this there are organizations, including scientists that have come up with other ways of researching wildlife to minimize injury and stress to the animal.  In 2008 the American Medical Veterinarian Association covered this very issue (READ HERE).

In his book, Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues, Marc Bekoff, former Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado discusses the issue of trapping and needing an alternative to leg-hold traps:

So what seems to be missing in Peggy's article is that there is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between her trapper friends and scientific researchers.  Researchers are always looking for the least intrusive way of studying a particular animal; they will not leave an animal in a leg-hold trap for an extended period of time, they'll look for the least painful & stressful way of capturing their subject, they'll only use a trap if the pros outweigh the cons, and they certainly don't shoot a fur bearing animal in the head or beat one to death after trapping it in order to preserve its pelt.  In addition to all of that, researchers do not use snares or conibear traps!

Here is the result of a snare trap set.  Snares tighten as the animal fights to free itself, slowly cutting into its flesh and strangling it to death.

Photo Courtesy of Susan Oswood

Photo Courtesy of Susan Oswood 

 Lastly, is point #5 by Peggy Callahan - I suspect, however, that the real reason behind the opposition to the hunt has nothing to do with science. Some people love wolves so much that the thought of one dying is not simply distasteful, it is abhorrent, unbearable.  The wolf is no longer a predator that has recovered its population, the wolf represents something beyond an animal to many.  This adoration of the wolf as an icon has fascinated me my whole career.

From what she has written in this article it appears she believes that anyone who loves and respects wolves cannot possibly be well informed.  If you believe a wolf is a majestic creature deserving of protection from hunters and trappers you must not be well educated on the scientific research.

ARE THESE PEOPLE not well educated on the scientific research? And where is the mention of emotions on the other side.  The HATE that trappers and trophy hunters have for wolves.  If we are going to talk about adoration and the feeling of distaste over the murder of an innocent creature we should also talk about the loathsome feelings trappers and hunters have towards wild predators and their need to kill for the sake of killing or just having a trophy or a pelt to sell.

Which brings me to the end of my blog post.

The Wildlife Science Center is apparently being evicted by the DNR from their current location in Forest Lake and they are asking the public for $500,000 to help house their wolves, bears, birds, etc… THIS IS THEIR FUNDRAISING SITE.  A recent article states that the Wildlife Science Center works to help endangered animals and I honestly don't know a better way of helping endangered wolves than using ones influence to object to wolf hunting and trapping but maybe that's just my personal opinion.

I am not here to tell you to donate or not donate, that is entirely up to you. What my goal with this blog has been and always will be is to share the facts that might otherwise be unknown to Minnesotans.  I don't know anything about Peggy Callahan or the Wildlife Science Center other than what I stated at the beginning of this post. She did not fall on the side of wolf advocates in 2012 and if she's changed her position on that issue I do not believe she has said so publicly, maybe she will.

Here is one of the latest articles on the Wildlife Science Center needing money and a snippet on the founder, Peggy Callahan's support of wolf hunting.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/3920851-minnesota-wildlife-center-feuds-dnr-after-eviction-notice

Here is a past article by vet Dr. Michael Fox, corroborating my concern over Peggy Callahan's position on wolf hunting.  

http://tedeboy.tripod.com/drfoxvet/id178.html

Another article from 2010 where someone broke into the Wildlife Science Center releasing a Mexican Wolf and Peggy Callahan pointing the finger at animal rights groups:

http://www.twincities.com/ci_14411304

Howling for Wolves Facebook page also covered Peggy Callahan's position on the wolf hunting & trapping issue back in 2012 and you can see all comments by the public, even those that had visited the Wildlife Science Center.   CLICK HERE

That's all I have to say about that.

Side Note: Dr. David Mech is also not against wolf hunting and trapping and in Nov. 2015 he signed THIS LETTER (so happily shared by the Sportsmen's Alliance) asking Secretary Jewell to remove the wolves from the ESL.

FUR EVER WILD HEADS TO COURT

I remember when I first heard about Terri Petter and her fur farm Fur-Ever Wild I just couldn't believe it.  How is it that the law allows endangered gray wolves to be slaughtered for their fur? I had reached out to other wildlife advocates to see if they had ever heard of such a thing and the response was pure disbelief, it just seemed too unreal.  Sadly, it's very real and as more and more details are released about this fur farm the more it puts the focus on our backwards system, one that has criminalized the abuse of domestic pets like dogs and cats but allows the torture and murder of captive animals like endangered gray wolves, fox, cougars, etc...

The name Terri Petter is one that always comes up when talking about Fur-Ever Wild but she does have a partner in all of this.  Both Terri Petter and Dan Storlie run Fur-Ever Wild together.  Although this is a partnership, I think both personal and professional, it is only Petter that I know who has publicly stated she does not kill her animals.

Read full article here

Her position with the public has always been she ONLY pelts her animals after they die of natural causes, that's what was told to me when I visited the farm and what I've read in articles and on Facebook from Petter and her supporters.  Her "I do not kill my animals" response to the questions about what she was doing with wolves has also sparked quite a defense from her friends, family and those who visit her fur farm.  The volunteers there have maintained Petter takes great care of her animals and would never kill a single soul as do those who visit the farm and enjoy hands-on play with the wolf pups.  Here is an example:

https://www.facebook.com/Fur-Ever-Wild-138516222844016/?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/james.roy.13?fref=ts

(all of the above screenshots were taken from pages/posts that were set to public)

You can also refer back to THIS BLOG POST to see how Terri also maintains that she does not harm her animals and if you do a general Facebook search of Fur-Ever Wild and look under the Star Tribune article about this fur-farm posted back in July 2015 you'll see the rabid defense of this fur farmer and the criticism of the public and animal rights groups for "spreading lies."  But court documents just don't lie.

When you appear before a judge, are deposed by lawyers or testify in a court hearing you are sworn in and expected to tell the truth.  It's one of those things that can really come back to haunt you if you have repeatedly misleaded the public and this is one of those times.  Although Terri Petter and her supporters have maintained Fur-Ever Wild is just a petting zoo, one full of loved and well cared for exotic animals, the court documents say otherwise:

They have had exotic animals for years.  99% of the animals are used for fur.  An animal that dies of natural causes, THE FUR IS NOT USABLE.  It is put to another use.

AN ANIMAL THAT DIES OF NATURAL CAUSES, THE FUR IS NOT USABLE!

When I visited the fur farm in spring 2015 I was told by our 14 year old guide that the wolves are pelted ONLY after they die of natural causes (old age, illness).   Why would you pelt an animal whose fur is not usable?

and then there is this:

Dan Storlie states that they PELTED 1500 FOX LAST YEAR.

PELTED 1500 FOX LAST YEAR!

But the volunteer comments I shared a screenshot from above say "they are not raised for fur."

I feel badly for their volunteers if they are sincere in their defense of this fur farm.  Do they know or maybe they don't want to know what Petter and Storlie have testified to.

Even if you don't trust the media, therefore, you avoid reading the articles that state this is a fur farm killing wolves, you cannot deny the court documents are where the truth is.  Court documents now have revealed wolves are being pelted and Dan Storlie states they pelted 1500 fox (read the court documents for even more details about this fur farm).

BUT… REMEMBER, THE ANIMAL THAT DIES OF NATURAL CAUSES, IT'S FUR IS NOT USABLE!

Dan Storlie states "this is a fur farm, they are pelts."  

So they aren't animals, they are PELTS!  Yes, that is exactly how a fur-farmer would see their animals, as pelts which = money.   If you read my last blog post on this you'll remember Petter denying that the picture used in the City Pages article was one of hers.  She is correct, it isn't one of hers, but it makes sense that she would be adamant about that because pelts sold at auction to become garments turn into this:  Wolf Fur Coat

Not things like this: City Pages Article Showing Taxidermy Wolf

So she was being honest about that picture.  Definitely not what her farm does with wolves because they are fur-farmers not taxidermists.   No stuffed wolves just fur coats, purses, that sort of thing.  I guess as a lay person I could have figured such since taxidermists are more the type that receive dead animals to stuff, they aren't usually the ones doing the killing.

KILLING!

For decades now people have fought to end fur-farming and yet here we are, finally getting to see who runs this type of business and how little oversight there is.  Minnesota is listed as one of the dirty dozen (Worst Fur Farming States) in the U.S. We are largely unregulated and allow extreme cruelty to animals raised and killed on fur-farms and when I found out Dan Storlie was an animal control officer for the United States Department of Agriculture I just threw my hands up in the air and sighed.

Storlie is a federally licensed animal control officer working in Wildlife Services for the United States Department of Agriculture. 

Remember, when the town of Deadwood, SD wanted to keep Petter from opening an animal exhibit in their town so a USDA employee was called out to do a compliance check and found that Fur Ever Wild was in full compliance with the law and all animals were being treated according to USDA guidelines.  USDA employee investigating the farm of a fellow USDA employee?  Um… ok.

Is this for real?  Well, this document says otherwise but does it mean Dan Storlie is not a USDA animal control officer elsewhere, I don't know.  It's all so convoluted.

So here is what we do know is real:

SUMMARY JUDGEMENT COURT DOCUMENTS

TERRI PETTER DEPOSITION

And don't forget that the 99% of the animals housed on Petter's property (Fur-Ever Wild) are killed for their fur and the animals better never try to escape or else…

*sigh

Next chapter on this: Eureka Township v Petter et al.

January 28, 2016 - 9:00 am
Dakota County Courthouse
1560 Hwy 55
Hastings, MN

(look for courtroom info on blue screen under Petter or Eureka).

A COYOTE KILLING CONTEST COMING TO TOWN

When you think the blood lust for wild predators cannot get much worse… then this appears

sponsored by local chapters of the National Wild Turkey Foundation, Pheasants Forever, and Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), and by the Marshall, MN Visitors' Bureau. 

Save the birds? 

Was that the only excuse they could come up with to kill coyotes, save the birds? They must have figured out that the usual "coyotes will kill your pets" excuse has gotten old and now they want to pass themselves off as caring conservationists and to do that they'll claim killing coyotes will somehow SAVE THE BIRDS.  So will there be a cat killing contest next because cats are one of the leading causes of native bird decline in the U.S.  

Here is more info on this coyote killing contest:

COYOTE KILLING CONTEST

Check out one of their rules PARTICIPANTS MAY HUNT ANYWHERE IN MN

This isn't a targeted kill to "save" another species (which is bad enough), this is widespread slaughter of a despised wild predator.  

Let's get something straight for those that do not know otherwise.  Killing coyotes DOES NOT SAVE NATIVE BIRD SPECIES!! Do coyotes eat birds? Yes! Coyotes eat many things including household trash, some bird species happen to be a very small part of a vast coyote diet.  According to the urbancoyoteproject.com "rodents are the primary food source for coyotes in rural and urban areas alike.  Studies show an increase in the rodent population when coyotes are removed.  Scat analysis of urban coyotes show rodent consumption is 42%, fruit 23%, deer 22% and rabbit 18%." 

As I touched on above these are the things destroying native bird species:

1. Climate Change

2. Loss of Habitat

3. Collisions; windows, cars, electrical wires

4. Cats

5. Poison; lead, pesticide, oil spills

Nowhere in any statistic on bird decline is coyote even mentioned as a cause. 

Sibley Guide: Causes of Bird Decline

National Geographic: North American Birds Declining

Discover Magazine: What's Killing Birds

Birds on the Edge: New Study Finds Pesticides Leading Cause of Grassland Bird Deaths

Search as many articles as you wish and you'll never find "coyote" listed as a cause of bird decline. 

Since this contest is being hosted by an individual in Marshall, MN and sponsored by pheasant and turkey hunting organizations, they are likely competing with the coyote for those birds but is there a shortage of pheasants and turkey to whine about? According to the DNR that would be a big NO!

DNR: No Shortage of Pheasants in Minnesota

When it comes to pheasants in particular, any cause in drop of population is attributed to a variety of factors such as habitat loss, cold, agriculture practices and drought.  Even when it came to possible predators, coyotes are not on the list, the egg stealers and chick eaters are more commonly badgers, raccoons, and fox but they do not affect pheasants in such a negative way as to reduce their population significantly.  If their numbers are dropping then it is time to stop hunting them.  Let the wild predators eat!!

And if it is turkey they are concerned about, well they aren't at risk from coyotes either!

Minnesota's Wild Turkeys: A Wildlife Success Story

What this coyote killing contest is really about is a persons desire to kill things.  I can't tell if the whole "save the birds" tag line is about mocking real conservationists or just an excuse they hope will fly with the public, probably a little of both, but one thing we know for sure is that Minnesota is fast becoming a very anti environment, anti wildlife state and unless people get together and demand the DNR not turn us into another Idaho or Wyoming, we're screwed! 

Please sign the petition below:

Prohibit Wildlife Killing Contests

FUR-EVER WILD: COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW FUR FARMER HARD AT WORK

Back in April 2015 I wrote a blog post about a local fur farm called Fur-Ever Wild, AKA Wolves-Woods and Wildlife.  You can find that post HERE.  At that time I had just visited Fur-Ever Wild after hearing they were slaughtering endangered gray wolves for their fur but claiming to be a petting zoo.  My sole purpose for visiting the farm was to see for myself what was going on there.  Of course, I didn't see any wolves being slaughtered but it was clearly not your typical petting zoo, not like any I am familiar with anyway, nor was it an animal sanctuary or even a regular animal farm in my opinion so my blog post after seeing the place was really about putting two and two together.  Was it really a fur-farm? Were wolves and other animals being slaughtered there? Well, lots has come to light since then and so I wanted to give a little update.

Although Petter (owner of Fur-Ever Wild) has always maintained she does not KILL any of her wolves for their fur, she says she'll wait til the wolf dies and then she'll skin it, I've learned a number of things in the past few months that contradict that, most of which is now public knowledge and if you aren't already aware, the links to various articles are shared at the end of this post.  The most important thing that has come to light isn't only the rumor Petter is slaughtering endangered wolves but the deposition that exposed the truth about this fur farm has been made public.  Here is a link to the full deposition.

Read full deposition here > TERRI PETTER DEPOSITION

Q: Is the attorney asking the question
A: Is Petter's response

The deposition is long but if you want to see the evidence Petter is slaughtering animal for their fur or just educate yourself on how fur farmer's work, this is something you should read.  Once you finish reading the deposition then you can continue reading this blog post…

_________________________________________________________________________________

So… with that all public now,  I want to address this...Terri Petter, owner of Fur-Ever Wild, didn't just open her farm to the general public to see her animals, she apparently opened her doors to a whole host of groups and organizations.  Here are few of the places that visited Fur-Ever Wild.

Dodge Nature Center Catalog 2015

Calling Fur-Ever Wild an education outreach program

New Prague Community Ed Catalog

Calling Fur-Ever Wild a Wildlife Refuge

The YMCA 2013 Summer Camp Guide AND The YMCA 2015 Summer Camp Programs

Explore Minnesota even promotes them on their website

In two different places

Most often you'll see Fur-Ever Wild ads listed under "educational programs" or they'll be called an "outdoor education center" like in THIS advertisement in SunWeek, which I am assuming was submitted by someone from Fur-Ever Wild.

I can't say what type of education on wildlife they provide since when I was there last spring they taught me absolutely nothing about the animals.  Our guide was a 14 yr old girl and she could barely answer basic questions about the wolves.  I even talked to Petter a short time and I didn't learn anything from her about the place except that she gets road kill from the DNR and the other food she feeds her animals comes from Sam's Club and Walmart.

So… what do we know now.  We know Fur-Ever Wild advertises itself as:

1 - education outreach program
2 - wildlife refuge
3 - education center

and we know the Petter testified to killing her animals for their fur.

What we've NEVER seen is Fur-Ever Wild advertised as a FUR FARM nor have we ever read or heard Petter explain what she stated in the deposition.  Now wouldn't that be the most basic thing she could do if she wanted to assure customers and other concerned individuals that she is NOT killing wolves? As far as I am aware she's refused to respond to media inquiries on this issue but she'll state on the Fur-Ever Wild Facebook business page that she has every intention of addressing this "rumor."  What's telling for me is she is more focussed on the picture being used in this article: Tis the Season for Slaughtering Gray Wolves then she is with answering concerned customer questions.

I know the picture used in the City Pages article Tis the Season for Slaughtering Gray Wolves isn't from Fur-Ever Wild because if it were, it would be captioned that way.  What the picture represents is what happens to wolves slaughtered on Fur-Farms for their fur so the picture fits with the point of the article, which is likely why it was used, and nothing about it is misleading.  Wolves slaughtered for their fur end up being trophy's, rugs, clothing, etc… you name it.

Fur Ever Wild Facebook Page

Original Post


One thing people like to say in defense of Fur-Ever Wild and the owner is that the place takes great care of its animals.  The animal's parts are used when they die of natural causes such as old age.

Here is one such post:

So let's address just two things in that post.

#1 "They have a couple wolves that are at the ripe old age. Ask yourself what happens on a farm when an animals dies??" 

Yes, this is absolutely true, if an animal dies of natural causes it would make sense to most people that their parts be used and not wasted, if possible, but is that what Petter is doing? Ask yourself, how do so many farm animals die of natural causes in such a short time? Even if they are so old that you euthanize them out of compassion, do you really euthanize 25 in two - three weeks?

Here is a snippet from the City Pages article (linked to above and at the bottom of this post) and if you read the deposition you'll see the same thing.

That's A LOT of wolves dying of old age or natural causes.  If that many animals dropped dead on any other farm the USDA would be out to investigate.

#2 "Their animals are well taken care of and loved.  They truly care about their animals and what they are doing."

Well, my personal idea of what "well" taken care of means would be a healthy animal; the animal is receiving a balanced diet according to its species needs and receives adequate healthcare. My post HERE looks at the condition of one of Petter's wolves, the one that ended up at the Intl. Wolf Center.

After reading on Petter's FB business page that Luna was one of her wolves I contacted the Intl. Wolf Center to confirm that information and this is the response they gave me:

According to Lori Schmidt's email, Luna had serious medical issues.

Here is a snippet from Luna's page on the Intl. Wolf Center website to explain what issues they saw in Luna once they received her.

We acquired Luna as a 20 day old pup, and shortly after her arrival, we noticed that she had some mobility issues.  After she suffered an injury from what should have been a non-event for a healthy pup, we discovered that she had a bone density issue that may be related to a vitamin D deficiency.  She had surgery to repair her injury at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Hospital and started nutritional supplements specially designed for her needs. 

I've been told who the broker is for Petter's wolves, the facility that sold Luna to the Intl. Wolf Center and the one they now refuse to work with, but since I've not been able to confirm that information with the broker I won't post it here.  All I know, is that the Intl. Wolf Center was not buying wolves from Terri Petter directly and in my opinion the tone of the email by Lori Schmidt comes across as if they have no interest in buying wolves from her either.  Why?  She's a USDA licensed facility also.  Hmmm…

There you have it.  None of the information posted above are lies, it all either comes from Petter's Fur-Ever Wild Facebook business page, court documents, or other sources like the Intl. Wolf Center.   The public has been seriously misled when it came to Fur-Ever Wild.  I think it is even doubtful that places like Dodge Nature Center or the YMCA were even fully aware of what Fur-Ever Wild truly is.  A FUR FARM!  Maybe they were aware, I'm not sure but I intend to find out since I've spent lots of money at Dodge Nature Center.

I don't understand why the TRUTH IN ADVERTISING law does not apply in this case.  Wildlife refuge, education center… that's deceptive advertising.  People have gone to Fur-Ever Wild with a false impression.  They were spending money to see animals they couldn't see elsewhere, animals they assume are being well cared for and loved because that is what they are told.  Is that assumption the fault of the patron? Only if they had no reason to come to that conclusion. When a place is advertised as a "wildlife refuge" or an "education center" you don't think slaughtered and skinned.  How would you feel if you found out the Minnesota Zoo was slaughtering and skinning their animals for a profit? You wouldn't take it lightly just as no one should take the Fur-Ever Wild situation lightly.  The money spent for entrance to the fur-farm is used to care for animals that ultimately end up on a slab being skinned for  products like THIS!

So, there isn't much more that can be said about this, it really comes down to believing facts over denial and sitting back to watch how THIS lawsuit plays out (Animal Legal Defense Fund Files 60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue Fur-Ever Wild).

For more information related to the Fur-Ever Wild Fur farm see the following:

ALDF Alleges Fur Ever Wild's Teresa Petter is Killing and Skinning Her Wolves

Animal Legal Defense Fund Files 60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue Fur Ever Wild

Tis the Season for Slaughtering Gray Wolves

Lakeville Fur Farm Sparks Controversy with S.D. Expansion 

Fur Ever Wild 'Agriculture Farm" Stinks, Eureka Neighbors Say

Fur Ever Wild Fur Farm Battles Neighbors Over Howling Wolves, Stinky Pigs, and Security

Opponents Cry Wolf Over New Business, Allege Mistreatment of Animals

Petting Zoo Accused of Slaughtering Endangered Gray Wolves for Fur

Nuisance Suit Over Dakota County Fur Farm

Opposition Rises to Deadwood Wolf Petting Zoo

USDA Called to Investigate Minnesota Wolf Fur Farm on Eve of South Dakota Hearing

Wolf Pup Exhibitor Endangers Animal and Human Health

Opponents Over Proposed Deadwood Petting Zoo Claim it is a Front for Fur Farm

Minnesota Wolf Fur Farm Opening New Location in Deadwood, South Dakota

There are many more but I've shared enough...

THIS MINNESOTAN HAS TO WONDER, WILL CECILE THE LIONS DEATH BE IN VEIN?

The other day when I heard about Cecile the lion being killed by an American in Africa my first thought was "another one." I didn't have all of the details about it, like the fact Cecile wasn't killed outright or that the hunt was illegal, all I knew is another beautiful creature was struck down.  Later in the day though I started to see more and more articles pop up across the internet and as the information started coming out about the torture poor Cecile experienced and the history of the man who killed him I felt very angry but oddly nowhere near as pissed as I became when I started seeing the nationwide outrage and the ire of Minnesotans; demanding justice, planning a protest at the trophy hunter's business, calling for all hunters to be killed.

Why am I pissed about that? Here's why.

First, Cecile's death is absolutely tragic but not unique.  What happened to Cecile happens every day and it doesn't just happen in far away places like Africa, it happens RIGHT HERE IN MINNESOTA!!  I watched as people organized a protest of Cecile's killer and 800 people responded on Facebook saying they would attend.  EIGHT HUNDRED PEOPLE! Whaaaaaaa???? I've been attending various events, protests, etc… related to animal rights since the 1990's and I've never seen 800 people at a protest related to protecting animals.  In the past three years wolf advocates in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan have been coming together to fight the slaughtering of the Great Lakes grey wolves and yet we were extremely lucky if 30 people showed up to protest wolf hunting and trapping.  People might say "how do you know all those people ranting about Cecile aren't fighting for wildlife?" I know because if all of those people were physically attending protests and speaking to their representatives, writing letters to the legislature, trophy hunting wouldn't exist.  Signing petitions and donating money only goes so far, people MUST call their local reps and be a nuisance by standing in front of the DNR, the governor's home, the capitol… to let them know that you care and you're not going away until they change things.

Sadly, I think Cecile is the flavor of the moment which means his death will likely be in vein.  People are angry now much like they were upset about Rachel Dolezal pretending to be black, or Bill Cosby drugging and raping women… but it doesn't last long enough to matter.  Next week it will be another story, another outrage and Cecile and other animals like him will likely be forgotten.  That's the thing about the good old U.S.A, the land of hypocrites who are not accountable.  Who will you see fighting to protect and save wildlife tomorrow? The same people we always see.  After the dust settles the same faces will show up at the protest locations, the same volunteers will be handing out information at events.  I hope I'm wrong, I truly hope.  My being wrong about this would give me great joy but right now all I can think about is the wolf who was killed ILLEGALLY up near Duluth, Minnesota.  The body was found early spring this year and the wolf had been killed by a snare, the snare was removed (though evidence remained) and its body dumped on someone's private property.  Thrown away like a piece of trash.  The owner of the property immediately contacted others to get the word out about this tragedy, Wolf Patrol picked up the story and offered a reward for information, Howling for Wolves posted about it on FB and Twitter, other groups shared the pictures and details across our vast social networks and yet no one batted an eye lash.

This wolf (seen below) isn't unique either.  There are thousands just like it in the U.S.  Cougars, bears, coyotes, raccoons, fox… tortured, illegally killed, used as trophy's.  Many are killed just out of fear and hate.  Do you know we have no bag limit on coyotes here in Minnesota?  We can kill as many as we want, whenever we want.  We also use traps which is a very barbaric practice.  Many animals linger in traps for days, suffering just like Cecile.  A snare trap, like the one that killed the wolf below, slowly strangles an animal to death.  In addition to all of this our own federal and state wildlife services kill 1.5 million animals each year.

LIST OF ANIMALS KILLED BY WILDLIFE SERVICES IN 2013

So, if you REALLY care about what happened to Cecile, don't let his death be in vein.  Write to your local reps, write letters to the editor of your city paper, attend protests, volunteer at events to share information with those that may not be aware.  Of course donating money helps also but if money were the single answer to saving wildlife there wouldn't be any dead elephants right now.

I am going to conclude this blog post with this share.  THE SCIENCE OF WHY YOU ARE SO UPSET ABOUT CECIL THE LION.    That article ends with this:

"we don’t need to suppress our empathy to animals like Cecil, but rather “moderate our prejudices with understanding for the value of all species, for the long-term welfare of humanity and our planet.”

Please don't forget that.

Photo courtesy of Susan Oswood

Photo courtesy of Susan Oswood

Photo courtesy of Susan Oswood

UPDATE ON FUR-EVER WILD POST

UPDATE!! 5/13/15

I have since learned that Luna was not purchased from Fur-Ever Wild.  She is a FEW wolf but the International Wolf Center was unaware of her origins because it was misrepresented to them when they purchased Luna from what they thought was a reputable  USDA licensed facility (if there is such a thing).  Terri Petter does not say in her FB post that she sold directly to the IWC she just says the wolf is one of hers so it implies the IWC was aware it was hers when they bought it but that is untrue. 

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Terri Petter, Owner and Operator of Fur-Ever Wild, has made a Facebook post responding to several of the complaints and criticism she has received related to her business.  In her post she informs everyone of one place she has sold a wolf pup to.  Apparently, Luna at the International Wolf Center is one of Terri Petter's wolves.  

(links highlighted)

Here is the Facebook post:

When the International Wolf Center acquired Luna they wrote this on their Facebook page:

If you can't see the paragraph it is says this:

"We acquired Luna as a 20 day old pup, and shortly after her arrival, we noticed that she had some mobility issues.  After she suffered an injury from what should have been a non-event for a healthy pup, we discovered that she had a bone density issue that may be related to a vitamin D deficiency.  She had surgery to repair her injury at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Hospital and started nutritional supplements specially designed for her needs." 

So Luna arrived at the Intl. Wolf Center with poor bone density possibly linked to a vitamin deficiency and then after injuring herself because of that deficiency she needed surgery.  

Well, at least now we know of one place that ended up with a Fur-Ever Wild Wolf and we know what condition it arrived in.