PREDATOR DEFENSE
PO Box 5446, Eugene, OR 97405 predatordefense.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Predator Defense is a national advocacy organization working to protect America's vital native predators, including wolves, coyotes, cougars, bears, bobcats, and more. We educate, advocate and litigate to stop our government's brutal, unscientific and counter-productive war on wildlife. We also help those who have been injured or have lost pets to government traps and poisons. And we help people learn how to coexist with native predators.

Predator Defense is an advocacy organization working to protect native predators, to help people learn to coexist with them, and to end America's brutal, unscientific, and counter-productive war on wildlife.

GENERAL SUPPORT AND PUBLIC EDUCATION - Ongoing collaboration, advocacy and outreach with the public, the media, elected officials, state and federal wildlife agency personnel, and environmental/conservation groups to end America's war on wildlife and promote science-based, common sense approaches for people and predators to co-exist. This work includes: Engaging, educating, and galvanizing the public to action on the issues via social media, email, and print communications. Collaborating with researchers, groups, governmental agencies, elected officials and others to improve our ability to reform policies and promote non-lethal predator control solutions. Collaborating with wildlife scientists to share results of their research to a broader audience. Working with journalists on in-depth articles and features. Working with people who have been injured or lost pets to traps and poisons used in wildlife "management." Fielding volumes of calls and emails requesting expertise on predator-related issues. Contributing to documentaries, educational programs, public meetings, and conferences.

WOLF PROTECTION - In 2020 we continued country-wide education and advocacy campaigns to raise awareness that killing wolves is counter-productive and anti-science, urging agency and policy reform. We decried the Trump administration's last-minute removal of wolf protections by delisting them from the Endangered Species Act, a move that flies in the face of sound science and the public will. We extended multiple calls to action for people to vote for leaders who value wolves and all wildlife. SPECIAL PROJECT: Given the urgent need to stop the wolf slaughter in Washington State, we ran high-profile ads in their largest newspaper, "The Seattle Times," to generate awareness, outrage and action. Called "Bad Math in Washington State," the campaign excoriated state wildlife decision-makers with graphic full-page print ads, online ads, and a social media campaign. The ads showed how outrageous and unjustifiable it was that--in a state with over 1,000,000 cows and barely 100 wolves--Washington had already killed 34 wolves for ranchers who refused to adequately protect their livestock and/or insisted on grazing them in unsuitable, indefensible locations. No other environmental or conservation organizations called Washington to task in this way and we got Governor Jay Inslee's attention very quickly. Less than a week after our first ad, Inslee asked the WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Commission to prioritize nonlethal management of wolves before the 2021 grazing season. We applauded his letter, but cautioned that he could not legally mandate WDFW to adopt specific policies. A majority of Commissioners must vote to do so, which will require intense public pressure. Meanwhile, there were still kill orders out on members of the Leadpoint and Togo Packs. So we urged the public to help us speak out to stop the killings. They did, and the kill orders were called off. Together, we saved wolves in Washington and hopefully enabled future change.

PREDATOR PROTECTION - OVERVIEW: Continued our work as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against USDA Wildlife Services' barbaric wildlife-killing programs, which ignore the best-available science and unnecessarily kill thousands of coyotes and other wild animals without examining implications and damage. BANNING WILDLIFE POISONS: Since our inception we have pushed for bans on the indiscriminate and lethal M-44 "cyanide bombs" used for predator control, which have killed many wolves, other wildlife, and countless dogs. They are also a public safety menace. We were thrilled to begin 2020 knowing that on January 1 the statewide ban in Oregon we worked so hard on in 2019 officially went into effect, creating an entire West Coast free of M-44 devices. During the year we continued our work to support a federal bill we've long worked on with Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oreg) called "The Chemical Poisons Reduction Act," which will ban M-44s and the deadly Compound 1080 nationwide. It is nicknamed "Canyon's Law," after Canyon Mansfield, the Pocatello, ID, teen who accidentally triggered an M-44 illegally set on a hill behind his home. The M-44 injured him and killed his dog, and he and his family became activists to ban them. Our activism with the Mansfield family was featured in a 2020 article in "The Guardian" on Wildlife Services being a secretive, out-of-control agency. Also this year, the Mansfields prevailed in their lawsuit against Wildlife Services; they got them to admit negligence in placing the M-44 cyanide bomb near their home. And we won an Idaho lawsuit to ban wolf-killing in wilderness areas and ban M-44s statewide (pending an full EIS). PROMOTING SCIENCE: Ongoing work to promote the fact that science, not myth, should be used as a guiding principle by wildlife managers. A key 2020 focus was supporting and promoting research and writings by noted predator ecologist John Laundré, Ph.D. This included his original essay, titled "Are Hunters Conservationists?," and his peer-reviewed study, published in "PLOS ONE," which used California as a test case to show that sport hunting of cougars is counter-productive, as it increases conflicts with humans and doesn't protect livestock. We also worked with Laundré to submit public comments on Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge's plan for reestablishing a viable population of bighorn sheep. COYOTES: Supported Oregon bill to ban coyote-killing contests via social media and email outreach. BEARS: Helped generate sufficient public outrage and comments to prevent trophy hunting of black bears in the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. GENERAL: Given the incredibly challenge 2020 presented worldwide we did several pieces of outreach regarding how disrespect for animals caused the COVID-19 pandemic and exploring the parallels between George Floyd's death and America's maligning, persecuting and killing native predators.

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