On February 2, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would not re-list gray wolves in the northern Rockies under the Endangered Species Act, finding them “not warranted” for federal protection.
This disappointing, but not surprising, decision comes in spite of the widespread killing of wolves in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming—including in Wilderness areas—by some of the most brutal and unethical methods imaginable: aerial gunning, strangulation neck snares, night hunting with night-vision equipment, baiting, bounties for killing pups, and allowing hunters and trappers to kill an unlimited number of wolves. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s “not warranted” decision responds to a July 2021 Endangered Species Act petition to list the western U.S. population of the gray wolf. The petition was submitted by Wilderness Watch and a coalition of 70 conservation, Indigenous, and animal welfare groups after the states of Idaho and Montana passed new laws to radically increase the number of, and means by which, wolves are killed.
Since that time, thousands of wolves have been killed in these three states—including just outside Yellowstone National Park and deep within Wilderness areas—diminishing both population health and the wildness in these Wildernesses. So, on February 7, Wilderness Watch and our allies filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its failure to list western wolves under the Endangered Species Act—a failure that ignores obvious threats to gray wolves, runs contrary to the best available science, and relies on flawed population models for its determination.
Joining us in initiating this legal action to protect wolves are Western Watersheds Project, Friends of the Clearwater, Trap Free Montana, Protect the Wolves, International Wildlife Coexistence Network, Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, WildEarth Guardians, and Predator Defense. Our coalition is represented by Western Environmental Law Center.
Our notice of intent to sue gives the Fish and Wildlife Service 60 days to fix its wrongheaded decision before we file our formal legal complaint in court. As Wilderness Watch’s executive director George Nickas noted, “The Biden administration has once again let down wolves and those Americans who care about them. It has rejected every request to step forward when states like Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana have implemented egregiously cruel and inhumane wolf eradication plans. Idaho proposes to kill 90 percent of its wilderness wolves, and that doesn’t alarm the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service? It seems that like their state counterparts, federal officials have lost all reverence or respect for these iconic wilderness animals. It’s really a sad day.”
Click here if you’d like to learn more about our 60-day notice of intent to sue.
Wilderness Watch will not sit idly by as the states of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming push forward with their wolf eradication plans. Together, with your support and your actions, we will continue fighting for wolves until these iconic wilderness animals get the respect—and protection—that they deserve and need. |
