Two wolf advocates were arrested by police late this morning after they allegedly refused to unshackle themselves from the front door at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's office in Salem.
The duo were part of a dozen or so protesters upset with the agency's management of the species.
In a video posted to the Salem Statesman-Journal's Web site, a man and others can be heard shouting, "The blood, the blood is on your hands ... ODFW, what do you say, how many wolves did you kill today?"
More chants can be heard in videos posted to the Keizer Times site.
ODFW recently announced that two members of the Imnaha Pack would be killed after it found "clear evidence of a wolf attack" on a cow calf in Wallowa County and said that it was likely the entire pack fed on it.
While ODFW has been less likely to confirm wolf kills than the Fed's USDA Wildlife Services -- and under fire from cattlemen for that -- it brings the total number of livestock known to have been killed by wolves in the Imnaha Pack's range to 14 over the past 18 months, according to ODFW.
The agency has previously authorized the killing of four wolves since 2009, including two tied to the deaths of 29 domestic livestock animals in the Keating Valley.
The incident in front of ODFW headquarters occurred between 10 and 11:40 a.m. The two people arrested were Stephanie Monet Taylor, 28, and Justin R.D. Kay, 22, both from Portland, according to OSP.
STEPHANIE MONET TAYLOR IS HANDCUFFED IN FRONT OF ODFW'S SALEM OFFICE AFTER ALLEGEDLY REFUSING TO UNSHACKLE HERSELF FROM THE FRONT DOOR. (OSP)
They were taken to the Marion County Jail and charged with second-degree criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental offices, according to OSP.
The Times identifies the protesters as members of the Portland Animal Defense League.
With the possibility of dinner hour spent in the jail, the organization put out a plea for supporters to call the hooskow and "politely request they receive adequate vegan meals."
A teddy bear donation fund has also been set up should they have to spend the night.
Outdoor reporter Henry Miller of the Salem Statesman Journal has a brief article on the episode.
KAY. (MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)
TAYLOR. (MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)
theres a logical way of protesting and then theres a way that lands you in jail for the night
I'd like to know why this offense earns a full-color mug shot? Other, more serious "crimes" get away with without even an identifying name. Media earns its reputation for biased reporting when it choses to create a political stance on an issue by criminalizing participants of free speech, even such a stunt as this.
Would have been better if they were mug shots of two wolves taken into custody.
That's an interesting question. I looked through OSP's press releases headlined with the word "arrest" and found that many featured mug shots of people taken into custody for various alleged offenses, but it wasn't uniform. Mug shots for some arrested for drug possession were available in some press releases, but others not. Some arrested for poaching offenses have had their mug shots sent out, but again others not.
Search for yourself: http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/NEWSRL/2011_newsreleases.shtml