Gray Wolves Back to Endangered List
posted in Animal Species |
In a crucial judgment late Friday federal judge listed gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Northern Rockies as endangered species again. Restoring the endangered species protection for gray wolves the decision was against the public wolf hunt supposedly to be conducted by 3 states this fall.
In Missoula, U.S. District Judge, Donald Molloy, decided a preliminary order for restoring endangered protection act for gray wolves in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho states. Whether the order should be implemented permanently will be decided by Molloy later.
It is estimated that there are around 2,000 gray wolves in the region. In the month of March after 10years of long restoration efforts, gray wolves were removed from endangered species list. Environmentalists took legal action in order to overturn the decision of public wolf hunts scheduled this fall. In the hope to stop the public hunt and to allow the wolf population to expand, environmentalists sought the injunction.
Attorney Doug Honnold in association with Earthjustice argued on behalf of 12 environmental groups before District Judge Molloy. After the argument Attorney Honnold said: “There were fall hunts scheduled that would call for perhaps as many as 500 wolves to be killed. We’re delighted those wolves will be saved.”
In the 40 page decision Molloy said that the federal government was unable to meet its wolf recovery standards which also included interbreeding of wolves between the 3 states to ensure healthy genetics. In the decision Molloy also wrote that “Genetic exchange has not taken place.”
Further adding to his decision Molloy said for the purpose of livestock attack state laws allowing hunting of wolves will further reduce the possibility of genetic exchanges to occur. Defending the decision to delist wolves from endangered species, Ed Bangs, Federal Biologist who also led “The Wolf Restoration Program” said it as “a very biologically sound package.”
Bangs further said: “The kind of hunting proposed by the states wouldn’t threaten the wolf population. We felt the science was rock solid and that the delisting was warranted.” As per Bangs government attorneys are evaluating Molloy’s decision and by next week will decide whether to appeal to 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
As per the federal and state officials argument hunting few wolves will not endanger the whole population until and unless the number decreases below 300 wolves. They also said that with the increased conflicts between livestock and wolves it is important to check the population of wolves. Hence public hunt or killing of wolves is totally justified.