Posted on 12/20/2006 8:58:11 PM PST by george76
The head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday his agency will start removing federal protection from gray wolves in Montana and Idaho by January, regardless of whether Wyoming has submitted an acceptable plan to manage its own wolves by then.
Wyoming's plan is tied up in lawsuits, and Fish and Wildlife Director Dale Hall said his agency is moving ahead with Idaho and Montana, where management plans are already in place.
( Canadian ) Wolves were reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains a decade ago after being hunted to near-extinction, and now number more than 1,200 in the region...
control efforts aimed at stopping the predators from eating livestock, as well as elk that are prized by hunters.
"They will be managed just as cats (cougars) and black bears are managed," ...
Because of the explosion in numbers, they've got to be controlled."
Wyoming's plan calls for leaving the animals alone in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, allowing trophy hunting next to the parks, and allowing wolves elsewhere to be shot on sight as predators.
Idaho is estimated to have 650 wolves in about 60 packs, while Montana has 270 and Wyoming 309.
After delisting, Idaho's federally approved wolf-management plan requires maintaining a minimum of 15 packs, while Montana has a benchmark of 15 breeding pairs.
Both states already have most day-to-day oversight of their wolves; sanctioned control actions every year kill dozens of the predators suspected of killing or harassing cattle.
Still, Idaho and Montana lack the authority to schedule legal hunts or kill wolves for reasons such as helping restore elk herds.
(Excerpt) Read more at casperstartribune.net ...
Defenders of Wildlife are still suing...
Hmm, I seem to recall that the re-introduction of gray wolves to that area was the fine idea of a former administration. Now what administration was that? Let me ponder that.
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