Ten days ago, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) gunned down a member of the Old Profanity Territory (OPT) pack; the wolf was about 5 months old.

The kill order was issued following livestock depredations on public lands.

Yesterday, WDFW announced it will continue efforts to kill other members of the OPT wolf family to stop further depredations. Wolves recently injured five additional calves.

The OPT wolves reside on land that was once home to the Profanity Peak pack, a wolf family that was obliterated by WDFW officials in 2016 in an effort to stop depredation on livestock.

Two years later, WDFW is back to killing wolves in these same rugged mountains, a place where protecting livestock is impossible.

Lethal action (i.e., killing wolves) is clearly not working either. Moreover, lethal action could even make the problem worse. Peer-reviewed research suggests that killing predators can result in increased attacks on livestock by survivors.

The public lands of the United States harbor some of the greatest resources of our nation and are owned by all Americans. Yet WDFW is killing wolves (state endangered wolves no less) on America’s public lands to benefit the profit margins of a private business.