BOSTON — On Saturday, Feb. 19, wolf supporters including the Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition will hold a Howl-In to gather pledges in Boston for the Alaska travel boycott.

Advocates will gather from 1 pm until 3 pm at Faneuil Hall, displaying posters announcing that “Alaska is planning a heart-stopping wildlife spectacle” and showing a wolf in a rifle’s crosshairs. Residents and tourists will be empowered to sign postcards, addressed to Alaska’s Gov. Frank Murkowski, pledging to boycott Alaska $2 billion tourism industry until the state’s aerial wolf-killing program is cancelled.

Alaska has been issuing wolf-killing permits to hunter-pilot teams since November 2003. The state gets support from a few people who want to hunt moose and who agree with the idea of wiping out predators who compete with human hunters. According to Friends of Animals, the international animal rights organization coordinating the Alaska boycott campaign, the latest plans of Alaska’s officials include a goal to kill as many as 1,025 wolves this winter alone.

“We oppose Alaska’s policy of turning one of North America’s last great natural areas into one big moose ranch,” said Daniel Hammer, Howl-In coordinator for Friends of Animals. “Ending this gruesome business of wolf control will require the commitment of individuals willing to take a stand for free-living animals and their habitat.”

Friends of Animals set a goal of 28,000 boycott pledges by the end of February. For this purpose a Virtual Howl-In lets supporters enter their names and addresses into an online form on the Friends of Animals website. The organization will then mail a physical postcard to Alaska’s Gov. Murkowski on behalf of each signatory.

To raise awareness about Alaska’s aerial wolf-killing scheme Friends of Animals has produced a 60-second dramatization which depicts the plight of Alaska wolves as, one by one, they are tracked and killed by airborne hunter-pilot teams.