Washington, D.C. – Alaskan Congressman Don Young today shared the following statement in response to a House Natural Resources Committee hearing discussion on the federal protection of the gray wolf:
“Today, I addressed a letter 79 Members of Congress – many of whom hail from districts without a single wolf – sent to the Secretary of Interior, asking her to rethink her agency's 2011 decision to delist the gray wolf from the endangered species list.
“As I said before, a healthy wolf population should not be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Science should direct listings and delistings, as it has in this case. The Fish and Wildlife Service used science to delist the wolf, while others are trying to use procedural and emotional arguments to fight this in court.
“The analogy I made today was intended to be hyperbolic, in order to stress the point that wolves are a serious problem for communities who deal with them. Anyone who’s dealt with a healthy, roaming wolf population, as we have in Alaska, understands that these predators have a detrimental impact on wildlife populations. If you misunderstood my comments, just imagine the impact a healthy wolf population would have on your own town, community, or congressional district. It would wreak havoc and place anything in their reach in great jeopardy.”
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