VICTOR, Idaho — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) denied a petition seeking federal protection for gray wolves. The Center of Biological Diversity and other wildlife conservation groups wanted federal protection for the wolves, who live in the northern Rocky Mountains and relist gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act.
"I'm incredibly disappointed that the Fish and Wildlife Service is turning a blind eye to the cruel, aggressive wolf-killing laws in Montana and Idaho," said Kristine Akland, northern Rockies program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "By denying protections to these beautiful creatures the Service is letting northern Rockies states continue erasing decades of recovery efforts."
In Idaho, the law allows the state to hire private contractors to kill wolves and allows hunters and trappers to kill an unlimited number of wolves, with permits year-round for trapping on private land, stated the Center of Biological Diversity. In other states, like Wyoming, gray wolves can be killed without a license because they are considered predatory animals.
"Unlike the Service, we won't stand idly by and watch as northern Rockies wolves are slaughtered year after year," said Akland. "Wolves are an invaluable part of their ecosystems and deserve strong federal protections."
Wolves in the Northwest, excluding Wyoming, lost federal protections in 2011, through a congressional legislative rider, the release stated. Wyoming lost federal protection in 2012. Since the wolves lost protection, there has been widespread killings of wolves.
In 2021, the Center of Biological Diversity, the Humane Society of the United States, Sierra Club and Human Society Legislative Fund petitioned USFW to reinstate the protection, after laws were passed in Idaho and Montana, allowing for wolves to be killed. In 2022, the collective group sued the USFW for "failing to make a final decision on whether gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains warrant federal protection under the Act."
The Center of Biological Diversity is considering a legal challenge to the denial.
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