Arizona files motion to intervene in lawsuit over wolf shootings

The state has filed a motion to involve itself in a lawsuit in which environmental groups allege that the U.S. Department of Justice is failing to prosecute those who illegally kill endangered Mexican gray wolves. The motion, filed in a case brought by WildEarth Guardians and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, declares Arizona as a party with an interest in the case. “The Mexican wolf issue is going better than it ever has,” said Mike Robby, who oversees the wolf recovery program for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “The challenges do not have to do as much with biology, rather the social pressures coming from environmental groups and cattle farmers alike.” The groups sued in July, saying a Justice Department policy that the agency can only prosecute those who kill wolves if officials can prove the person intended to kill an endangered species. That makes it easy for those who kill wolves to claim they thought a Mexican gray wolf was a coyote, the groups contend. The lawsuit said 48 wolves have been illegally killed since the reintroduction began...more