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Wolf Trust News Wolves Edge Closer to the Highlands August 2005 Wolves have found their way to Aberdeen University this summer. For the first time they appeared on a Scottish university undergraduate examination paper: "Discuss the re-introduction of Wolves into Scotland." Evidently, more people are aware of wolves as part of our lost heritage and are even setting questions about their return! Wolf Trust Wins Charity Status October 2004 At last the Wolf Trust is a registered charity. The Wolf Trust is the only charity in Britain concerned with education about wolves and promoting their reintroduction. However, to get this far we have had to fight a battle lasting over two years. In 2002 the Wolf Trust applied to the Charity Commission to register us as a charitable trust. Registration enables charities to raise funds better, reclaim tax from the Inland Revenue and it enhances their public image. The Charity Commissioners refused to register the Wolf Trust. Even though we argued fully and rationally they continued to throw up barriers to reject us. In the end, corrupting their own appeal system, they made up a fiction finally to reject us and refused to correspond further. This was all the more malevolent as they had just registered a somewhat similar organisation, the Great Bustard Group, who have since reintroduced the great bustard to Britain. Our Member of Parliament, whom we thank and whose support we appreciate, could not make them re-open the case. Clearly the Charity Commissioners are prejudiced against wolves. Their unethical and underhand conduct has blackened and stained the good reputation of the Charity Commission. Being unable to make headway with the Charity Commission we applied direct to the Inland Revenue in Edinburgh to register us as a Scottish charity. We were registered in twelve weeks. We should like to hear from other wildlife organisations who have had a similar experience with the Charity Commission. Parliamentary Ombudsman's Decision August 2003 Last May we appealed to the Parliamentary Ombudsman about the Charity Commission's unjust decision to refuse to register the Wolf Trust as a charity. The Ombudsman was set up by the Government to protect the rights of ordinary people by remedying injustices they may suffer at the hands of government departments and quangos, such as the Charity Commission. The Ombudsman has now replied that an Act of Parliament bars her (really is a she) from intervening when the aggrieved can seek a remedy in the High Courts. Since everyone can, in theory, take their complaint to the law courts, the Act makes the Ombudsman's office a sinecure. Our British democracy in action. Charity Commission's Decision May 2003 The Wolf Trust won its point with the Charity Commission about their view that wolves are "harmful to man" (see below, November 2003). The Commission now concede that "...circumstances and attitudes have changed greatly since 1915..." and thus wolves might be worthy of conservation. However, while the Commission have given way on this and other issues, they keep throwing up new hurdles. Now they claim the Wolf Trust has a political purpose to influence the Government to reintroduce wolves and that this is 'an end in itself' and cannot be considered charitable. The Commission therefore still refuse to register the Wolf Trust. Furthermore they consider the matter closed - since the Trust has already used its two appeals the Commission will allow anyone to argue against their decisions. For the Charity Commission to make an entirely new (and spurious) objection at this stage is an underhand and unethical trick and makes their appeal system a farce, as by repeatedly throwing up objections they can reject any application at their whim. Accordingly, the Wolf Trust has appealed to the Parliamentary Ombudsman against the Charity Commission on grounds of maladministration. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration by government departments and quangos, is said to be independent of government, appointed by the Queen and reports to Parliament. We await what this investigation may show - whether indeed our complaint will be investigated - and moreover whether any justice can actually be gained. World Wolf Congress 2003 December 2002 This year's wolf congress will be held in Banff, Canada, September 25 to 28, 2003. It is being organised by the Central Rockies Wolf Project, who are also calling for papers and posters. Several prominent international speakers are already enrolled. Charity Commission's Decision November 2002 The Charity Commission rejected our appeal to register as a charitable trust (see July 2002, below), after a wait of six months. The Charity Commission is a statutory body governed by Act of Parliament. Among its functions are the registration of charities and regulation of registered charities. A major advantage of being a registered charity is better access to funding opportunities. The Commission's decision, therefore, cuts us off from significant funding sources. An important reason for the rejection is that the Commission believe wolves are "harmful to man". The Commissioners do not define what they mean by this but base their views on their interpretation of certain comments in a legal document published in 1915 - in Edwardian times. The Wolf Trust has now submitted a second appeal. Regarding 'harmful to man', we maintain that all animals are harmful or none are. Any other definition can only result in arbitrary and prejudiced decisions by the Commissioners as to which animals are harmful and therefore which charities to reject. We await their decision in the coming months. We should not allow a statutory body, such as the Charity Commission, to decide arbitrarily that wolves are 'harmful'. Such a decision might then have some basis in law. If our present appeal is rejected then the only effective avenue may be to take the issue to the High Courts. Any interested lawyers out there? Wolf Centre Opens In The Highlands September 2002 The wolf centre opened in the Scottish Highlands this month! But only on TV, in the comedy drama Monarch Of The Glen (BBC1, Sundays, 8pm). The idea for the telly wolf centre is to earn money to save the ancestral home of Glenbogle, a fictitious estate of snow-topped mountains in the Highlands. Archie, the male lead, says, "One day the wolves will roam free in the hills." Unfortunately, Archie mistakenly calls the wolves 'red wolves' (who live only in south-east USA) when of course they are grey wolves. Even so, the idea of reintroducing wolves in the Highlands is obviously catching on - only a few years ago people found it far-fetched. Wolf Trust applies for charitable trust status July 2002 The Wolf Trust's application to the Charity Commission to register as a Trust was rejected. The Commission said wolves are not in need of conservation and that they are harmful and of no benefit to humans. The Wolf Trust replied with a comprehensive twelve page appeal and is confident of a favourable decision. Page revised 10.04

A wolf resource - a red deer (elk or wapiti) stag (Cervus elaphas). Courtesy Gerald and Buff Corsi, California Academy of Sciences. CalPhoto.