Post #5: Interview with a Washington Wolf Biologist and Coordinator—Julia Smith

Protections on wildlife are immensely important, especially when it comes to charismatic predator species, such as wolves. On November 3rd, 2020, the Trump administration removed protections on wolves after officially taking them off the endangered species list. This has resulted in catastrophic consequences for wolves across several states—especially Idaho and Montana—two states which I spent a lot of time in on my trip.

Although the Biden administration has issued a status review on gray wolves, they are being inhumanely killed in vast numbers in the meantime. The wolves so many people have worked so hard to protect are in danger of being destroyed once again by extreme overhunting—a disappointing and disheartening prospect to all those who have helped in their recovery.

Tune in to this short audio segment to hear more about wolves from Julia Smith, a former wolf field biologist and current wolf coordinator for Washington State.