Wolves Remain on Endangered List
Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017 -- 8:00 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -A federal appeals court has ruled against the U.S. Department of Interior's 2011 decision to delist gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act.On Tuesday, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that Fish and Wildlife Service regulators 'failed in their analysis' when they decided to remove protections for the gray wolf in nine states, including Wisconsin. Animal rights groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States, have appealed the decision because they feel the animals are still in danger of extinction. But federal lawmakers from many of the affected states have been working to legally remove the wolf from the Endangered Species list, claiming the animals' population has grown to healthier levels.
In January, Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy introduced a bill to remove such protections; with Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin pushing legislation in the Senate to do the same. Recent data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shows that the overwinter minimum wolf count in the state during the past year was between 925 and 956. That's an increase of about seven percent from the same time last year. The agency estimates that the number of wolf packs also grew in the past year to 232, about 10 more than 12 months earlier.
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