Submitted by Pauline Beart
Only 19 more wolves are left to be killed by licensed hunters in the state of Wyoming as the hunters have already killed 33 wolves.
For this year, the statewide limit for hunting wolves has been set at 52. The trophy hunting season, which started on 1st of October, will conclude on 31st of December.
The authorities had closed three hunting areas as of Monday to further hunting of wolves as hunters in these areas had reached their local hunting limits. Nine other hunting areas are still open.
This is the state’s first trophy hunt for wolves since the wild animal was re-introduced to the Yellowstone ecosystem in the mid of 1990s. Wolves were removed by the federal government from Wyoming’s endangered species protection list in August.
Meanwhile, a coalition of environmental groups has asked a federal court to order the Fish & Wildlife Service to protect wolves once again under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Lawyer Tim Preso, who represents the groups, said, “What the (Fish and Wildlife) Service does, in setting the benchmark for delisting of wolves is an important precedent for its treatment of species all across the country.”
The groups involved in the lawsuit include Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, the Defenders of Wildlife, and Natural Resources Defense Council.