Wyoming to manage wolves at minimum number allowed
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Wyoming aims to eventually reduce the number of wolves in the state to near the minimum that the federal government will allow once federal protection for the animal is lifted.
Wyoming and the federal government have agreed not to let the wolf population in the state drop below 100 wolves.
With more than 300 wolves estimated to live within Wyoming, that could initially mean killing dozens of wolves — something environmentalists are opposed to.
Jay Lawson is the wildlife division chief for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. He says the main reasons for managing near the minimum level is to ensure hunting opportunities and honor the public’s desire to keep wolf numbers around the original recovery objective.
But Steve Thomas of the Sierra Club says managing for the minimum number is part of a “really archaic” view of wolves by state officials and would jeopardize the wolf recovery effort.