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Dear Friend,
If the last few months have shown us anything, it's that when we speak out, en masse, we can stop a number of bad things. And this week brings a renewed need to speak out.
We must all say an emphatic NO to H.R. 845, a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would remove wolves' vital protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) from coast to coast, leaving them open to unending slaughter like we've seen in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Deceptively titled the "Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025," this bill will allow ranchers to abdicate all responsibility for protecting their livestock using common sense, nonlethal methods. It would instead give them approval to slaughter even more of our essential apex predators. Backed by the NRA, and introduced by Lauren Boebert, this lie-packed bill undermines the integrity of the ESA by forcing the reinstatement of a scientifically indefensible delisting rule that will lead to wolves functional extinction, destroying their irreplaceable benefits to our ecosystems.
H.R. 845 is so bad it would also block judicial review, preventing any legal challenges. It is undemocratic, and it is unacceptable. It must be stopped.
Please Contact Your Representative Today
H.R. 845 passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee earlier this month and a vote on it could happen in the full House as soon as Representatives return, starting the week of April 28. So now is the time to ACT. Please take a few minutes to urge your Representative NOT to sacrifice gray wolves based on lies.
Ask your Representative to vote a resounding NO on H.R. 845, the "Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025," by calling and/or emailing before Monday morning, April 28.
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CALL them via the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. (We hear calls are especially good, as they must be officially logged.)
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FIND & WRITE: Use your zip code to find your Representative's contact information. Then send them the message below--either by copying/pasting or by adapting to your own voice.
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Dear Representative [insert name],
I am writing as your constituent to urge you to vote NO on H.R. 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025. If passed, it will lead to the functional extinction of gray wolves, our vital apex predators.
Intact wolf packs are essential to the health of our ecosystems and each family member plays a key role. The vast majority of Americans love wolves and support their return to suitable landscapes in the Lower 48. Yet that is not happening. Instead, well over 10,000 wolves have been killed since 2011, when their Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections started to be stripped and management was turned back to the states.
Currently over 1,000 wolves are hunted down each year. The Northern Rocky Mountain states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming kill the most. Protections there were fully removed in 2020, based on a deeply flawed population model that ignored obvious threats to the species and the fact that wolf populations are not truly "recovered." These states have been driving extinction by cruelly destroying wolf families via bounties, wanton shooting, trapping, snaring, even running over them with snowmobiles and live-torturing them.
While livestock producers think they need to kill wolves to protect their cattle and sheep, they are not admitting to the facts on the ground--less than a fraction of one percent of cattle and sheep deaths are caused by wolves; most livestock losses are caused by weather and disease. In addition, killing wolves is completely counter-productive. It destabilizes their social structures, which making future conflicts with livestock more likely and increases unnecessary slaughter.
Meanwhile, hunters need to acknowledge the fact that that wolves are friends, not foes. They take out sick, old and genetically inferior animals, while hunters only try to kill the largest and healthiest trophy animals. Wolves also keep elk and deer on the move, which keeps prey species and plant life in balance.
Yet another important consideration is the boost wolves bring to local economies through ecotourism. Their reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park alone has pumped at least $82.7 million a year into gateway communities. But now no wolf in Yellowstone is safe, as they can be killed the moment they cross the invisible park boundary line into the neighboring states.
Ultimately, we have a responsibility to protect gray wolves for future generations. Allowing H.R. 845 to become law will be our government saying we brought wolves back from extinction just to kill them all over again. Please vote NO.
Thank you for your service and for your consideration.
[Your name]
[City, State]
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Thank You for Helping Us Commemorate Our 35th Anniversary by Speaking Out for Wolves
This month marks our 35th anniversary of fighting for America's essential native predators. While we don't exactly feel like celebrating, we take heart in the millions of Americans who've taken to the streets this month to stand up for sanity, decency, and the rule of law.
We hope you find encouragement there, too, and wish you calm and steely resolve as we move forward, together. Thank you for all you do for wolves, and for all our fellow travelers.
For all that is wild and free,
Brooks Fahy
Executive Director
Predator Defense
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"The time has come to seriously examine our relationship with top predators. The question is not whether killing wolves is “sustainable,” as wildlife managers are always trying to assert. The question is whether it is ecologically, ethically, or even economically defensible to kill large numbers of predators anywhere. The answer on all counts is no: there are no reasonable ecological reasons to kill wolves, there are no valid economic reasons, and clearly there are no tenable ethical reasons.”
- Dr. Paul C. Paquet, world-renowned large predator ecologist
Read Dr. Paquet's full essay: "Mirror, mirror on the wall: The wolf as scapegoat"
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