Howls of protest over wolf hunting

Alaska’s new policy of allowing hunters to shoot wolves from the air to cull the population has touched off a very loud reaction by animal rights supporters. The Darien, Conn.-based Friends of Animals is planning a series of “howl-ins” to protest the policy the weekend after Christmas in New York; San Francisco; Sacramento; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Lansing, Mich.

The state wants to reduce the wolf population around the interior town of McGrath, which is reachable only by plane and snow machine. Residents have complained that wolves and bears kill too many moose in the region. More than 80 bears have been relocated as part of the program and the thinning of the wolf population is the next phase.

But the Friends of Animals contends the decision to hunt the wolves is based on faulty population information and threatens to launch a protest targeting Alaska’s $2-billion tourism industry.

The group launched a tourism boycott in 1992 that resulted in then-Gov. Walter J. Hickel imposing a moratorium on wolf control. At the time, the Friends of Animals held “howl-ins” in 51 cities.

The wolf hunt could begin at any time, but there has not been enough snow to facilitate tracking.

“The weather has been on our side,” said Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral.

-- J. Michael Kennedy