State Barred From Killing Wolves Until Further Notice
Wisconsin wildlife officials can no longer kill wolves that attack farm animals and pets after a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had not given the public an opportunity to comment on the practice. The judge’s ruling means that Wisconsin and Michigan are barred from killing problem wolves until the Fish and Wildlife Service and the states participate in a public review.
The suit was filed by the Humane Society of the United States and other groups. Federal Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled on the case last week.
“The court’s decision to halt this action from the bench shows just how far the Fish and Wildlife Service has strayed from its duty to protect endangered wolves,” Jonathan Lovvern, vice president of animal protection litigation for the Humane Society, said in a prepared statement.
Wisconsin had killed 29 wolves since April, said Adrian Wydeven, a wolf specialist with the Department of Natural Resources. Officials estimated that the state’s gray wolf population was at 425 to 455 during the 2004-’05 winter. That’s up from 373 to 410 wolves the previous winter.