Conservationists Howl as Feds Drop Wyoming Wolves From Endangered List

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today declared the Wyoming population of gray wolves to be recovered and removed federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. As of September 30, wolves in Wyoming will be managed by the state as they are in Idaho and Montana. The delisting’s September 30 activation date is in time for Wyoming’s proposed October 1 wolf hunt. Jamie Rappaport Clark, president of Defenders of Wildlife and a former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, blamed the Obama administration for what she called a “tragic” decision and threatened a lawsuit to reverse the delisting of wolves in Wyoming...more

But are they really howling? Oh yes:

“Today’s removal of wolves in Wyoming from the endangered species list is a tragic ending to what has otherwise been one of America’s greatest wildlife conservation success stories,” said Clark. “The Obama administration is allowing an important, iconic species to be wiped out from most of the state, including from large tracts of our national forests and other public lands where wildlife management is supposed to be a priority.”

“This is a low point in the modern history of wildlife conservation and a stunning move by an administration that vowed to be guided by sound science. We tried to work with the Obama administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies to develop and implement more responsible wolf management plans, but we were dismissed,” Clark said.

Attorney Jenny Harbine with the nonprofit law firm Earthjustice said, “Wyoming’s open season on wolves in almost all of the state would allow aerial gunning of wolves and even killing wolf pups in their den. Wyoming law also allows unrestricted killing of wolves if they are found to be ‘harassing’ livestock or domestic animals, even if wolves are intentionally baited into the conflict. These policies could drive wolves back into local extinction. This is no way to responsibly manage wildlife on the border of Yellowstone – our nation’s first national park.

Environment News Service