Justice for All: Preventing Cruelty through Wildlife Governance Reform

The Wolf Conservation Center hosted Dr. Michelle Lute of Wildlife for All for a webinar on May 8, 2024 to discuss how wildlife governance reform can prevent future cruelty to wildlife, such as the recent tragic incident of the tortured wolf in Wyoming.
Dr. Lute explained how state wildlife management, especially Wyoming's liberalized predator killing policies, incentivizes illegal activities and systematic persecution of wolves and other native carnivores. Through a presentation followed by Q&A conversation, Michelle illuminated the urgent need for wildlife governance reform and outlined potential pathways toward compassionate conservation and multispecies justice. By sharpening our moral and political responsibilities to humans, animals and nature, we can create a world where all beings are respected and valued.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Michelle Lute is a conservation scientist and advocate with nearly twenty years’ experience in biodiversity conservation on public and private lands around the globe. Michelle holds a PhD in wildlife management from Michigan State University, an MS in animal behavior and ecology from the University of Notre Dame, and a BS in geography and environmental science from Valparaiso University. She started her environmental career in the National Park Service, worked for large and small nonprofits, state government and held research positions at universities across the US. Dr. Lute has authored over 30 publications in ecology and social sciences to develop evidence-based approaches to human-wildlife coexistence. wildlifeforall.us/
ABOUT THE WOLF CONSERVATION CENTER
The Wolf Conservation Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental education organization committed to conserving wolf populations in North America through science-based education programming and participation in the federal Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) Programs for the critically endangered Mexican gray wolf and red wolf. The WCC's mission is to advance the survival of wolves by inspiring a global community through education, advocacy, research, and recovery.
For more information about wolves and the WCC's participation in wolf recovery, please visit www.nywolf.org.
Follow us on Facebook - / nywolforg​​​
Find us on Twitter - / nywolforg​​​
Find us on Twitch - / wolfconservationcenter
And on Instagram - / wolfconservationcenter

[@Cosmicwolf369]

My heart breaks and cries for all wolves and animals in the world who are victims of cruelty and any pain and suffering. I really hope one day we can all live in harmony and peace with each other and that Karma will deliver justice. Thank you for all that you do to help, raise awareness and protect them. 🙏🏼❤️🐺

[@katymay2611]

It is indeed very important to help prevent cruelty to wildlife. I truly hope more will be done to protect them from harm ❤🙏

[@eryngreenwood6156]

Agreed . the animals need justice .

[@omcguigan173]

It is terrible that these disgusting and evil individuals are able to get away with this! Thank you so much for all your wonderful and hard work as well as bringing this to lght for the world to know. 🐺🙏🌎♥️

[@jessicalocke9943]

Thank you!

[@RafflesPhysicalMediaCollector]

#StopKillingTheWolves

[@Agm1995gamer]

I don't know why but I clicked this thinking it was a metal album.

[@QB_L]

It’s hard to listen to this, I don’t handle animal cruelty very well and it always makes me want to cry, but I think it’s important to be informed and aware of what’s going on even if it is difficult to hear. I’m not surprised that the people gunning for so much wolf killing and suffering are blood thirsty old white men. I’m always disgusted by these people that get a such a kick out of purposefully harming an animal, but the insight about how they value their viewpoints and presence over others (whether that be animals, minorities, women, children, LGBT) makes a disturbing amount of sense and is infuriating. The analogy of hunting and harming animals to a serial killer mindset is scary, in addition to the murder of indigenous peoples in those areas that lobby for wolf slaughter so hard…. Despite it being 2024 we’re still living in the 1800’s Anyways, commenting and liking for the algorithm. I hope more people become aware of this heartbreaking case against that poor yearling wolf, as well as the encouraged cruelty that happens to wolves and other species 😞

[@hereandthere6001]

I'm the same as you. But what disturbs me the most is the lack of views and comments. It isn't an issue for most and while the world is in economic decline it will be even less important.

[@aWolffromElsewhere]

I feel your pain. When I was in college I wrote an essay about wolf hatred in america and my conclusions were very much the same in this video. I compared how wolves are treated to Lynch Mobs in America and the Nazi Gestapo in Germany. I get accused by human supremacists' for hyperbole, but you only need to take one peek at history, or read Of Wolves and Men by Berry Lopez to get a glimpse of the horror. What we have here is a classic case of oppression, double standards, victim blaming, and then outright slaughter, torture, and mercilessness towards wolves. I've talked to wolf haters and it feels to me like there is a black pit where a heart should be. They act all normal and glib in society, but I dont think a human's conformity to their culture makes them good, that's such a low hanging fruit that its meaningless. You see who people really are when they have power over others. In the wolf hater's case, its nothing short of evil, and the system protects these people because its 'legal' to kill wolves. Any sort of obfuscation of rationalization is only an excuse. I've read dozens of accounts of what happens when a wolf's mate is killed and its utterly heart shattering. Wolves have more humanity in them than the people who glorify snuffing them out.

[@hereandthere6001]

@@aWolffromElsewhere that is so true, they want to kill the goodness in them because it shows up the darkness in themselves.

[@aWolffromElsewhere]

@@hereandthere6001 they project the bile and darkness in themselves onto the wolf, who does not remotely share any of those characteristics, and then does evil to them. It's a twisted form of psychology. With my experience in talking to wolf haters, I have the feeling they are psychopaths, and if you know anything about the neurology of a psychopaths brain, they are incurable. I really like how she says not to give their talking points credence, that is good. I dont engage with anti wolf talking points, I throw them out immediately and tell people how wolves really are, how corrupt the system truly is, and that this is a battle of values. I remember spitfire, or wolf 06, from yellowstone. She was treasured world wide, her life was amazing and magical, like something out of a fairy tail. She wondered out of the park because the hunting was bad and was shot by a trophy hunter. In what sane world does 1 trophy hunter have the right to have taken Spitfire from the rest of us? And especially her mate, who was beside her body for a couple hours, trying to get her up? Its injustice plain and simple. A human with humanity, even if it was legal, would have respected the value of that wolf and her family to others. Its a power struggle, we have to fight until we win. We will win because our values are superior to theirs and that's because we value wolves alive, we love who they are and don't need them to be any more or any less than that.

[@numan5976]

🫡🐺❤️‍🔥😏😎