US Fish and Wildlife Services Delists Grey Wolves from the Endangered Species List
Great Lakes Grey Wolves Are Removed from the Endangered List, and Northern Rockies Wolves May Be Next
Deputy Secretary of the Interior states that "Wolves have recovered in the western Great Lakes because efforts to save them from extinction have been a model of cooperation, flexibility, and hard work." She claims that the same goes for the wolves in the Northern Rockies, which have come to "exceed their recovery goals to the point where they are biologically ready to be delisted."
However, not everyone supports the delisting of the grey wolf. The Center for Biological Diversity claims that "Delisting wolves over vast areas to allow the livestock industry and its patrons in government to massacre wolves is blatantly illegal," said Michael Robinson. "These beautiful, intelligent animals should be given the chance to survive."
The Great Lakes Wolves are not sparking quite the controversy that the Western wolves are, as the Great Lake States in play, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota have all put approved recovery plans into place on the state and regional level. However, the Western Rockies population is threatened by the states that make up that region, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Wyoming's recovery plan has been rejected by the FWS as inadequate to protect the wolves. There is also a question as to how wolves will be classified, and if they are classified as predators, they can be shot on site.
The grey wolf, also known as the Eastern Timber Wolf, was declared endangered in 1974, and at that time numbered about 300 animals in Minnesota and Isle Royale, Michigan. Under the strict protection afforded the wolf by the ESA, the grey wolf has made a comeback that is seen as a success story in conservation in this country.
There are several safeguards that come into play once a species is removed from the threatened and endangered list. In the Great Lakes region, hunting will be prohibited for five years. The FWS also retains the right to re-list the species on an emergency basis if necessary during its five year monitoring period.
A major contention that environmental groups have with the proposed delisting of the Northern Rockies grey wolves is that once the wolf is delisted "trophy" hunting will be allowed, as the western states promote big game hunting as a draw for tourism. Also, due to the open range nature of ranching out west, the presence of the grey wolf may be seen as a threat to livestock, and therefore run the risk of being shot on sight.
Published by alex cruden
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- The Grey Wolf is seen as a recovery success story for the Endangered Species Act.
- Idaho is estimated to have 650 wolves in about 60 packs, while Montana has 270 and Wyoming 309.
6 Comments
Post a CommentHi.
I agree that the grey wolf should be kept on the endangered list. Excellent article. I'm off to sign the petition.
See the Defenders of Wildlife website to sign the petition to stop the proposed "open season" on the grey wolf. While there, you can adopt a wolf or a wolfpack as well ( a great idea for the kids in your life that may want to save the planet one day).
By all means, please join the campaign to keep the grey wolf on the endangered list!! This is pasted from the FWS, "Comments from the public are encouraged on this proposal to delist the northern Rocky Mountain population of wolves. They can be electronically mailed to NRMGrayWolf@fws.gov; hand-delivered to USFWS, 585 Shepard Way, Helena, MT 59601; or mailed to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wolf Delisting, 585 Shepard Way, Helena, MT 59601. All comments must be received within 60 days of the proposed rule's publication date in the Federal Register.
I have already sent an email to the FWS. As this article was published under news, I tried to stay a little more objective in this piece. I agree that the "success" is contingent on how we can keep this animal safe in the future. The Center for Biological Diversity is just one of many groups that file lawsuits against actions like these. The last suit was filed two years ago (the last time the FWS tried to delist the wolf), and
How can that be a "success" story? From 300 in 2 states in 1974 to 1229 in 3 states some 33 years later? Do you have any links for petitions to relist the wolves? This is terrible. You article, however, was excellent. Thank you.
Interesting article. Well written.