Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer Says He Will Not Enforce Protections for Gray Wolves
While wolves are a natural and integral of the Pacific Northwest landscape, not everyone agrees on whether they should be allowed to exist in Klickitat County.
Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer. Photo Credit: Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office
Goldendale, Wa, November 3, 2023 — Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer released a press release today calling the introduction of wolves into Klickitat County a “bad idea”, saying that “Wolves should not be introduced in Klickitat County…Wolves will be killing livestock, domestic pets, and will present a public safety threat to our citizens.”*
*Fact check: the wolves in Klickitat County have not been introduced by humans, but rather have naturally dispersed from their birth packs and moved into the area to start a pack of their own.
Songer also stated in his press release that he believes arresting someone for killing a wolf when it is attacking or killing livestock to be “a violation of the individual’s Constitutional rights.”
Although wolves are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act and Washington State law, Songer, says he will not enforce these laws.
Penalties for illegally killing a state endangered species range from a $5,000 fine up to one year in jail.
Songer has received both widespread support and criticism for his subscription to Constitutional Sheriff and Peace Officers Association ideologies, which state that the County Sheriff has supreme legal and law enforcement authority in the U.S. superseding all other levels of government including the President of the United States. As such, Constitutional Sheriff’s believe that they have the power to defy and disregard laws that they deem as unconstitutional.
Here’s a Look at Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer’s Full Press Release
“Wolves should not be introduced in Klickitat County, Washington
The introduction of wolves into Klickitat County is a bad idea in my opinion. Wolves will be killing livestock, domestic pets, and will present a public safety threat to our citizens.
It is my understanding that wolves are already being introduced into Klickitat County and are to be Federally protected under the Endangered Species Act Section 7 and Washington State Law; this means wolves cannot be killed when they are attacking or killing livestock, domestic pets or presenting a public safety threat. You can be arrested if you kill a wolf that is attacking or killing your livestock, domestic pets, or presenting a threat to the public.
I believe arresting someone for killing a wolf when it is attacking or killing livestock, domestic pets, which is considered personal property of the individual, is a violation of the individual’s Constitutional rights.
The United States Constitution, under the Fifth Amendment, states an individual will not be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.
The Washington State Constitution also states under section 3 PERSONAL RIGHTS. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.
As a Constitutional Sheriff of Klickitat County, it is my duty to protect our citizens Constitutional Rights and God Given Liberties. I believe the Federal and Washington State Governments, threatening to arrest a citizen for killing a wolf that is attacking or killing livestock and domestic pets, which is the personal property of our citizens, is illegal and unconstitutional.
As Sheriff, I will not enforce laws that appear to be unconstitutional and violate the rights of our citizens.”
Songer’s stance may put him in a precarious legal position in the event that he were to be sued for negligence or violation of constitutional or statutory rights and may also have serious implications for the Big Muddy Wolf Pack of Southwest Washington.
Conserving Nature’s Legacy: Wolves Return to the Landscape in Klickitat County
Wolves play an important role in local ecosystems. Their presence can cause reductions in coyote, deer, elk, and other prey species populations. The reduction of certain prey species also results in a greater balance in the ecosystem, reducing erosion, and greater propagation of plant species.
However wolf populations have been significantly decreased as a result of human intolerance, loss of habitat, and poaching, So while there are some 216 wolves and 37 known packs it’s been over a century since wolves have inhabited territory in Southwest Washington.
In fact it wasn’t until 2022 that Southwest Washington became home to it’s first gray wolf pack. The pack, known as “The Big Muddy Pack” only has two members so far: one male and one female which have dispersed from their birth packs to start a pack of their own. So far the pair have failed to breed but the pack is being closely monitored by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A map of the Big Muddy Pack territory.
Mitigating Livestock Conflicts: 81% of Wolf Packs Do Not Prey on Livestock
As of 2022 81% of known wolf packs in Washington were not involved in any documented livestock depredation.
However in areas where wolves and livestock have come into conflict, such as the case with the Scatter Pack in Okanogan County, where five wolf predation events have resulted in the death of three livestock animals (two donkeys and one calf) in the last 10 months, WDFW coordinates with the impacted livestock producers to encourage daily monitoring of the livestock. WDFW also reaches out to other producers, particularly those with fall calving operations or over wintering livestock to provide guidance on non-lethal tools that could be used to help protect their livestock. Such as removing attractants like carcasses of animals, having light and noise scare devices, fencing, guardian dogs (refers to specific dog breeds such as Anatolian shepherds, Mastiffs, and Great Pyrenees), and frequent human presence. They also reach out to non-governmental range rider groups to see if they have resources to provide within this pack territory.
Usually this combination is more than enough to keep wolves away.
But in some cases WDFW will consider lethal removal as an option.
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