Howling For Wolves

NEW in 2022: is the Wolf Forgiveness Bonus Program intended to reduce livestock producers' frustrations and replenish their funds when they lose an animal from a suspected wolf. Our goal is to give producers a payment quickly and with minimal information, and in exchange we ask that they not have wolves trapped and killed. When USDA Wildlife Services is called many wolves die. For one calf loss this past September, USDA Wildlife services killed 9 wolves! Our program will save wolves’ lives. More information is on our website here. 

Our mission: Protecting the wolf for future generations.

Howling For Wolves, a Minnesota-based non-profit wolf advocacy organization, was formed in 2012 to educate the public and policymakers about the gray wolf’s vital and necessary role to maintain biodiversity and healthy natural habitats. We work to ensure the long-term survival of the gray wolf by fostering the public’s understanding and tolerance for this magnificent species and her pack.

Howling For Wolves began in 2012, when the wolf was removed from the Endangered Species List and a trophy wolf hunt was rushed through the Minnesota State Legislature. This occurred despite the vast majority of Minnesotans (79%) agreeing that the wolf should be protected for future generations and 79% said “No” to a proposed wolf hunt by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Even the Minnesota DNR reported the gray wolf population dropped by 24-26% following the first hunt. 

After three consecutive wolf hunts, federal courts returned the gray wolf in the Great Lakes region to the Endangered Species List on December 19, 2014. Minnesota wolves were then again listed as "threatened" and enjoyed those protections until January 2021. During this time, Howling For Wolves worked to increase the public's awareness of the need to protect wolves, advocated to ban wolf hunting and developed wolf protection policies including obtaining funding for livestock producers' nonlethal prevention methods that avoid conflicts with wolves.

Current status of the Minnesota wolf:

Minnesota's wolves are back on the federal Endangered Species List as February, 2022. Today is no public wolf hunting and trapping season in Minnesota, but the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) may hold a public wolf hunt as soon as wolves lose federal protections. Lethal options are still available to farmers for wolf-livestock conflicts and USDA-APHIS (Wildlife Services) routinely kills entire packs of wolves for allegations of conflicts with livestock. They kill approximately 200 wolves per year in Minnesota alone. 

Protecting Wolves Into the Future:

Howling For Wolves is dedicated to nonlethal wolf plans that protect wolves and increase tolerance for them. We oppose wolf hunting and trapping seasons and support efforts to pass laws that prohibit wolf hunting seasons in Minnesota.  We also support proposed laws to eliminate snaring and requiring permission to trap on private lands. The wolf has been aggressively killed for centuries. And new research has shown that with reduced protections for the wolf, comes more illegal wolf killing. Howling For wolves is organizing nationally to advocate for returning federal protections for all wolves in the lower 48 states  Learn more and get involved at HowlingForWolves.org.