Gray Wolves Delisted from Endangered Species

Gray wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho have been excluded from the list of endangered species after the Bush administration decided to end their federal protection on Thursday saying that the wolves were reproductively vigorous enough to survive.

The delisting of the northern Rockies gray wolf from the list of species protected under the Endangered Species Act will come into effect 30 days after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) publishes the final rule in the Federal Register next week.

“Wolves are back,” said Lynn Scarlett, the deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior, during a conference call with reporters. “Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains are thriving and no longer need protection.”

However, not everybody is prepared to back the decision. "We will support delisting of the northern Rockies wolf when the states establish sustainable management plans that ensure viable, interconnected wolf populations throughout the region," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. "Unfortunately, the current state plans seem designed to lead only to the dramatic decline and need for quick relisting of the wolf. That's not in anyone's best interest."

Only about 66 wolves were introduced into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in the mid-1990s, from where the number has significantly risen to 1,300, with an additional 230 or so in Montana that have moved from Canada. Wolf hunting, or complete eradication is allowed by the State management plans in some places — including most of Wyoming —and the target population in each of the three states is 150.

Biologists however, believe that the target population is too small, and suggested a minimum requirement of 2,000 to 3,000 animals.

According to H. Dale Hall, the director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, if the population goes below the state’s assured management levels, federal monitoring would be extended and other options would also be explored, including a restoration of protection.