Alaska trapper shoots horse, uses it as wolf bait and snares important female wolf from Denali National Park
Oasis Earth, Anchorage
907-360-4503
May 18, 2012 — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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In an incident somewhat reminiscent of the “bad old days” of the Wild West, a trapper from Healy, Alaska apparently hauled a dead horse out to an area off the Stampede Trail near the boundary of Denali National Park - an area made famous by the 1996 book “Into the Wild” - and set snares all around the area hoping to catch wolves attracted to the carcass. Wolves from Denali National Park were drawn to the dead horse, resulting in the killing of a primary reproductive female wolf from the Grant Creek (also called Toklat West) pack from the park, along with at least one other wolf. It is unknown how long the two wolves were alive in the snares before being killed and collected by the trapper. In addition, the only other breeding female from the Grant Creek pack was just found dead yesterday near her den, and thus it seems certain that there will be no pups in this pack this year. The Grant Creek wolf pack has been one of the three packs most often viewed in Denali National Park.
The snares, set by Healy guide Coke Wallace, were on state lands along the north border of the national park, and within the former protected “Denali buffer” where from 2002 - 2010 trapping and hunting of wolves was prohibited to protect the park’s wolves. Ignoring several proposals and hundreds of supporting comments from citizens in 2010 to expand the no-take Denali wolf buffer zone - including a proposal from Denali National Park itself - the Alaska Board of Game instead eliminated the protective buffer altogether. At the same time, the Board also imposed a moratorium on future consideration of any Denali wolf protection buffer proposals until 2016. Some have questioned the legality of the Board restricting public process in such a way.
While the Stampede snares were required to be removed by the May 1 close of the trapping season, the dead horse remains at the site (see attached May 6 photo), continuing to be a nuisance attractant to bears and other wildlife (note the recent public safety hazard caused by the attraction of a brown bear to carcasses dumped along the Seward highway near Anchorage). And the rotting horse carcass is just 1/2 mile upstream from a cabin owned by Susan and Dave Braun of Healy, right next to, and below the high-water level of, the stream where they, and others downstream, get their drinking water.
While the Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADFG) say the incident does not violate state law, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) is looking at potential violations of state water quality regulations, which prohibit discarding carcasses in surface waters of the state.
The Grant Creek wolf family group (“pack”) may be one of the longest-studied vertebrate lineages in the world, dating back at least to the 1930s when Adolf Murie studied them in the park. The pack’s home territory is eastern Denali, and as it is one of the packs most viewed from the Denali park road, it is considered a high value resource for the several hundred thousand visitors that visit the park each summer (see attached photos of the Grant Creek pack from Dr. Gordon Haber).
Of concern in this incident is that the Grant Creek female was killed just after the mating season for Denali wolves (which is late February — early March), and thus it is likely that she was pregnant with what would have been a new litter of pups (perhaps this family group’s only litter), when she was killed. Last year, park service biologists observed her nursing pups at the ancient Murie den, thus she would likely have been preparing to do so again this year. As such, her death causes a significant loss of new pups/recruitment to this important pack, and thus a loss of viewing opportunities for the many thousands of visitors to the park wanting to see wolves in the wild.
Research by the late Dr. Gordon Haber, who studied Denali wolves for over 40 years before he died in a plane crash conducting wolf surveys in the park in 2009, has clearly shown that the loss of even one reproductive female from a pack not only leads to the loss of that individual and all of her future pups, but also can cause significant effects to the social dynamics, behavior, distribution, and integrity of the entire pack. Park service surveys show that Denali wolf populations are significantly reduced from what they were several years ago, and one of the likely reasons is the continued take by hunters and trappers along the northeast boundary of the park.
“If anyone needed more evidence that the Denali buffer is essential to protect park wolves, here it is,” said Rick Steiner, an Alaska biologist who was a friend and colleague of Dr. Haber’s. “For one guy in Healy to earn a few dollars for a wolf pelt, the state of Alaska has sacrificed the extraordinary value of these living wolves to hundreds of thousands of park visitors. I will be formally requesting ADFG Commissioner Cora Campbell to issue an emergency closure of state lands in the area to wolf trapping and hunting before the season is set to reopen this November, in order to protect Denali wolves from this continuing threat.”
Alaska writer Marybeth Holleman, who is completing a book on Denali wolves and Haber’s research, said, “Because Haber is no longer studying these wolves, we don’t know as much about this female as we could. However, based on his research, it’s likely she was the only pregnant female in the group this year, and without any pups as a ‘social glue’ for this summer, this most-viewed family group may disintegrate and disappear from the park entirely.”
Steiner has submitted proposals to the next round of Board of Game meetings (in 2013) to: 1) rescind the Board’s moratorium on Denali buffer proposals, 2) impose a no-take buffer along the south boundary of the park, and 3) to shorten the hunting/trapping season for wolves statewide to November 1 — March 1, to protect pregnant females in spring and dependent pups in the fall.
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Other contacts:
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell: sean.parnell@alaska.gov
Commissioner of ADFG Cora Campbell: cora.campbell@alaska.gov
Coke Wallace, Midnight Sun Safaris, Healy: info@midnightsunsafaris.com; 683-4868
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48 Comments
On May 18, 2012, MARY WOLFE wrote:
ISNT IT ILLEGAL TO BAIT ANY ANIMAL FOR/DURING HUNTING?
On May 18, 2012, Heidi wrote:
Trapping any animal is extremely cruel. Trappers are lazy people, they don’t even sit and wait for an animal so they can humanely kill it. This so called man should be snared himself… and see how he likes it.
On May 18, 2012, iris s carr wrote:
that horrible man should be kept from any contact with animals
he should pay a heavy fine and go to prison for a long time
On May 18, 2012, Dianne Marchie wrote:
The bastards that shot this horse should have the same done to them.
On May 18, 2012, Karen L. Adler wrote:
How pathetic to use such nefarious means to trap & snare wolves who are basically following their instincts. This is something to boast about? Surely there must be a more humane way to preserve the wildlife balance in Denali National Park. Viewing wolves is one of the main tourist draws to Denali. Protect them; don’t brutally murder them!
On May 18, 2012, Mynette wrote:
WOW…..WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO
MAYBE SOMEONE SHOULD USE HIM … AS BAIT
SICK PEOPLE DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED…WHERE THE HELL IS THE LAW SYSTEM
On May 18, 2012, Jacob wrote:
The man who did that should be locked up for a long time!!! What he did to the horse and the wolves is completely unacceptable!!!
On May 18, 2012, Carla Porter wrote:
Totally unacceptable. Trappers are just heartless murderers who’s able to get away with murder… of wild animals because it’s still legal.
On May 18, 2012, Pete wrote:
Forget jail time! That guy deserves the death penalty! That is, if Alaska had the death penalty, which they don’t.
On May 18, 2012, Lynette D wrote:
This war on wolves is a chopped up mess of sporadic, random slaughter. The rest of what I have to say isn’t printable.
On May 18, 2012, Kevin Railsback wrote:
Adding Coke Wallace to the list of people I wish the most horribly gruesome death imaginable!
On May 19, 2012, Candace Hoover wrote:
On every level this is wrong! The trapper killed a horse-wrong! He used the horse to bait ,trap, and kill-wrong! He left a carcass of a large animal to rot in the drinking water of people downstream-wrong! this clearly and probably was not the first time this male, human did this cruel act of bait and trap thinking nothing of the chain reaction to animal and human kind. Monetary gain and the simple “way of the wild” have shown the dark side of some that walk among us. Only God can forgive this behavior, but reasonable people must find a way for this type of action to suffer some type of consequence.
On May 19, 2012, Roger Hewitt wrote:
Hunters and trappers seem to have gone bat sh— crazy, and are of like mind to “R” people. We need to vote against any name with an “R” after it this fall. The anti- wildlife and anti-wilderness people have clearly aligned with the far right in a visceral, irrational stance against our concerns and interests. They need to be pushed back into the shadows of humanity where they belong.
On May 19, 2012, Mickey wrote:
They should take this idiot and hang him.This world is getting terrible with the way animals are being treated.The goverment should have protection laws against this happening.
On May 19, 2012, Ken Broggelwirth wrote:
We need to stand together to force our elected officials through our voice and our vote to create and enforce laws to protect the environment and wildlife from the devastating destruction it has been facing these past years. The time is now! We may never have a second chance. In our lifetime most species will disappear due to our abuse and neglect, and so follows the environment. How much can the planet take before it will no longer sustain us, and rebel against us? How long will God tolerate our abusive ways? No matter if you believe in God, Nature, or both this destructive behavior is bad for all. Only the ignorant or evil don’t see that.
On May 19, 2012, Filly007 wrote:
Ah, Alaska….where they seem to breed idiots.
On May 19, 2012, Grady wrote:
This bastard should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law then thrown in the slammer,fined heavily,then after jail time do years of community service. Laws should be very strict when it comes to animal use and abuse.
On May 19, 2012, Deb Smoot wrote:
This looks like yet another example of:
“representative gov’t.” listening to its masters i.e. special interests and “rugged individualists” doing what they darn well please, “don’t tread on me, but I will tread on you, the environment, animals, and anybody/anything else that gets in my way.
On May 19, 2012, Mousey wrote:
Hey Coke Wallace did you think about future ramifications when you killed a MAIN member of that wolf pack family? Did you think she might have been pregnant with pups? Did you give a damn?
It doesn’t seem so. Shame on you. Wildlife serial killing freak.
On May 19, 2012, Lee wrote:
I cannot understand how people can be so inhumane…so cruel.
On May 20, 2012, Franz Nahani wrote:
…send him to my place and I will feed him to the wildlife here…and any other trapper/hunter…
On May 20, 2012, Dixie Roden wrote:
First, I want to thank you for this article on this horrific act. For a human to not only have the brazen disregard for a horse that was a innocent victim in this as well as the luring of his body for wolf entrapment is despicable at best. The tears flow freely in reading your article and that the alpha female who was murdered most likely was pregnant and close to giving birth. A tragedy for her, the unborn pups, the pack and to mankind. The loss is insurmountable and will have consequences for years to come.
On May 20, 2012, Simon Teolis wrote:
There will never be peace or balance on this planet until the “psychotic” failed genetic mutation called humans are extinct!
On May 20, 2012, debbie bullard wrote:
This is not fair for either animal and it’s my understanding it’s against the law to bait?
Where do we go to sign to have this hunter arrested?
On May 20, 2012, Wade Willis wrote:
EDITORS” NOTE: Oh, please, Wade Willis. Don’t lecture anyone on “The Law.” High time some morality weighed in and yes, Friends of Animals and the blog posters here have worked in Alaska for decades — sponsoring Gordon Haber’s wolf research for 17 years. He taught us all about Coke Wallace and what passes there as standing up to the bureaucracy. And wolves are not resources, Wade like water, rocks and trees. They deserve respect and they’re not getting it by any stretch in Alaska.
You folks need to understand something — this country was founded on THE LAW.
Coke Wallace is simply following the law. If you want to “hate” something, don’t hate Coke, realize its the Alaska Board of Game, appointed by Governor Parnell, that authorizes trapping in this area.
I personally have fought in the trenches for years promoting the Denali Wolf Buffer zone. I support that area being a wolf viewing, not consumptive take area. It follows the best use guidelines found in Alaska’s constitution.
These witch hunt, vigellante, comments found in this post do nothing to promote the wise use of our resources. ..
On May 21, 2012, Jerry Bailey wrote:
What a waste kill something beautiful to catch something beautiful..what a shame!!
On May 21, 2012, Danielle Liberio wrote:
This is so disgusting and inhumane to slaughter any animals. The person who did this should get the strictest punishment there is. We can only do better in this world without these disgusting people who are acting inhuman! We need stricter laws for this. :-((
On May 21, 2012, MARIA SONIA ESTRADA-SOLERO wrote:
INMORAL DENIGRANTE , IMPUDICO . EL SER HUMANO ES UN ASESINO
On May 21, 2012, Liz Petersen wrote:
This is just so wrong. There are some very bad people out there with no respect for other living creatures. The person should be punished for their inhumane acts.
On May 21, 2012, william huard wrote:
Coke Wallace has been targeting these Denali wolves for years. The man is a arrogant sadist. Since when is the “harvest” of a freakin wolf pelt more important than keeping the integrity of this iconic pack together so that hundreds of thousands of tourists can view this wolf in the wild with her pups? Don’t give me this “sustainable use argument Wade Willis. Your state listens to the hunting and trapping SLOBS that run your Board of Game….. These trappers are takers- plain and simple- they could care less about anyone but themselves….Coke Wallace- what a coward.
On May 21, 2012, aNONYMOUS wrote:
Trappers are sadists. They have NO RESPECT for wildlife what so ever. They are subhuman scum. They are the destroyers of wildlife.
On May 21, 2012, Vera Dunlop wrote:
It´s really unbelievable. This man for sure doesn´t like wolves but used his old horse as bait ???? He doesn´t like anyone . I would like to know what he would felt if something bad happens to his family.. I would very much like to see his face ! Hell to him .
On May 21, 2012, Irene Leggett wrote:
Just another example of how these brain-dead, mindless, heartless, soul-less gun-toting, trigger-happy morons (oops,sorry meant ‘hunters’) couldn’t give a stuff about anything but their over-inflated egos. Pity they didn’t have a brain to match their egos, perhaps then they would find some compassion, some empathy and some moral ethics. (but I seriously doubt it!!)
On May 21, 2012, Scott MacDonald wrote:
Feed this ______ to the wolves!!!!
On May 21, 2012, Mary Miller wrote:
How sad. Really sick of the cruel idiots on this planet. Humans get their own karma.
On May 21, 2012, Teresa wrote:
This was soooo wrong on so many levels, such cruelty to ANY animal should be outlawed in every state, but to purposly bait animals out of a National Park, to kill them inhumanly…it just makes me, and all that I know, sick…
On May 21, 2012, Tia wrote:
I find it hard to believe that this man hasn’t broken any laws…cruelty to animals comes to mind, but honestly - are you saying that anyone can take an animal into the wild, kill it, and then set indiscriminate traps and kill ANY animals they want, on ANYONE’S property (private or public) in the cruelest way possible? Seems absurd and this man Coke should have to pay for the crime. The Alaska Board of Game is a joke and should be disbanded and wildlife advocates put in charge. Shame on the Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Department of Fish & Game. THIS IS A DISGRACE!
On May 21, 2012, Tim O'neill wrote:
Simply wrong every way you look at this.
On May 21, 2012, E Arena wrote:
Everything about this is appalling.
On May 22, 2012, Rick Asselmeier wrote:
There are people like this out there you should just DDD their stuff , Destroy, Dispose,and Deny, then they’ll get it
On May 22, 2012, crystalwolf wrote:
The Bastard’s name is COKE WALLACE! He put that horse out there on purpose to lure a wolf. If Alaska wasn’t so corrupt…he would of never thought of doing this. But the head of DF& W was just booted our for poaching (Cory Rossi) so they think they can do anything and kill with impunity.
Google this idiot. He HATES wolves. He loves to kill.
On May 22, 2012, Jennifer wrote:
Where is this “code of ethics” these hunters claim to live by??
I guess when a hunter is trapping they have a different code to live by …The code to systematically slaughter and torture these wolves and other innocent animals that get caught in the traps,snares and in line of bullets.I just can’t see a “humane” being in their right mind could let another living being suffer while pregnant or suffer while dying without feeling any remorse.
On May 23, 2012, Mary Alice Pollard, Cornwalls Voice for Animals wrote:
An absolute disgrace !!! And yes I thought too that baiting was illegal, these killers who like to call themselves hunters think they are above all law, laws of the land and man made laws - there is no heart, no compassion to be found within these sorts of so called human beings.
On May 25, 2012, Carol Crunkhorn wrote:
A reply from Coke Wallace on receipt of a protest letter I signed:
On 25/05/2012, at 5:03 AM, coke wallace wrote:
Wow Carol,
I have been to your country…..one that has NO GAME LAWS AT ALL. There is more hunting that goes on in New Zealand than Alaska. You can shoot animals out of helicopters and everything. Why don’t you save your outrage for your own country.
If this is so upsetting to you, one would think that you could at least express your OWN opinion and not be a sheep ( you are familiar with those animals and how they follow each other, right?).
Coke W. Wallace, Master Guide
Midnight Sun Safaris
PO Box 435
Healy, Alaska 99743
email: info@midnightsunsafaris.com
(907) 683-4868 Ph
(907) 978-0929 Cell
(907) 683-1201 Fax
On May 22, 2012, at 10:55 PM, Carol Crunkhorn wrote:
To Whom It Concerns,
I am writing to protest the brutal slaughter of a horse to attract and subsequently viciously kill wolves, one of whom was likely pregnant. Humans have adopted dangerous constructs of speciesism, the prejudicial regard of non-human species, to validate the brutality inflicted upon them. Using this manufactured status of superiority, humans have sanctioned the use of animals as commodities, regarding them only as products to benefit our goals and needs. We embrace inequity to justify our treatment of animals, yet euphemistic descriptions meant to facilitate morality cannot disguise the fundamentally unethical parameters with which we surround ourselves to distinguish our dominance. As dangerous as racism and sexism, speciesism further divides the chasm between species, which desensitizes us to cruelty and inevitably leads to human inequality and injustice.
This disregard of your most vulnerable group of beings is unacceptable, and until this barbarism is appropriately addressed including a mandatory ban of such, I will boycott. I and others will collectively voice condemnation, resulting in the sacrifice of vital tourism and commerce profits. Please act responsibly and with compassion and choose to protect, rather than sanction harm, to animals.
Sincerely,
C.A. Crunkhorn,
Auckland,
New Zealand.
On May 25, 2012, Carol Crunkhorn wrote:
and my reply to Coke Wallace:
Coke Wallace,
I agree with regard to New Zealand’s appalling lack of control over hunting, but that’s not a reason for me to keep quiet about cruelty to wildlife, wherever it happens. If someone protests the disgusting trophy hunting, pig hunting and other totally unnecessary slaughters of animals in New Zealand, I welcome their protests wholeheartedly. I will continue to express my outrage to my government as long as it allows local and overseas dimwits to slaughter animals for no better reason than that they think it’s fun.
And yes, wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were 48 hours in a day, then I could put everything into my own words! The fact is, I signed a pre composed letter of protest about something you don’t give a damn about - the unnecessary slaughter of beautiful animals by ugly humans. Had I known you had visited NZ, I would indeed have added my OWN opinion and told you to stay the hell away if all you want to do is come here to trophy hunt.
Oh, and by the way, we do have animal cruelty laws and anyone killing a horse for no better reason than to attract wild animals into traps, would be prosecuted. In case you forget, the point of the protest letter was “the brutal slaughter of a horse to attract and subsequently viciously kill wolves” by non other than yourself.
You are a depraved individual, but thank you for your response. I appreciate you taking the time to create an original knee jerk reaction, rather than a well thought out pre written protest.
C.A. Crunkhorn.
On May 26, 2012, JustineG wrote:
Wade did the law say that Coke Wallace was required to kill a horse and use it to lure a wolf just so he could shoot her? Just because hunting & trapping the wolves is legal doesn’t make it any more acceptable. Coke Wallace has no hunting skill or he wouldn’t need to do the equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. If getting people riled up about an idiot like Wallace spurs them to take action to demand removing the moratorium on the buffer zone, I have no problem with that.
On May 28, 2012, Laura wrote:
This is beyond horrific. The trapper is one of the most pathetic excuses for a human being on this earth. The pain and suffering they inflict on sentient beings is nothing short of pure evil. And most of our governing state bodies allow these sadists to lawfully and systematically torture living creatures on such a level that if they were domestic animals-in many states-these disgusting individuals would be facing felony charges. One thing is certain. Trapping must end. Several states have already banned trapping on public lands and several more have campaigns running right now. Oregon, New Mexico and Montana to be exact. There are FAR more of us than there are of them. Wherever you live, whoever you are you can make a difference. Get involved!! Check out Born Free USA for more information on and how to help end this most barbaric of “hobbies”! If you don’t have a “trap-free” campaign going in your state-get one started!! Through perseverance and patience we can end this. And it needs to end.
On July 28, 2012, linda palm wrote:
disgusting, sick, heartbreaking