Montana Wildlife Agency Remains Opposed to Wolverine Protections

Montana wildlife officials have given up on a wolverine trapping season this winter, but want the state excluded from future federal protections for the elusive predators so trapping can be revived. Federal officials are poised to announce by next Friday whether wolverines should get Endangered Species Act protections across the western U.S. That's what government scientists have recommended for years due to habitat threats posed by climate change. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim said Tuesday the animal's population is healthy enough in the state that no additional protections are needed. And even if protections are proposed, Aasheim says Montana will seek authority to continue trapping, on the grounds that the issue is separate from the future perils wolverines face...more