Wyoming Wolves Face a Dangerous Delisting Decision

LIVINGSTON, Mont.–(ENEWSPF)–August 31, 2012  – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it is lifting federal protections for gray wolves in Wyoming. An unprecedented act by Congress removed wolves from the endangered species list in Montana and Idaho last year, but kept protections in Wyoming because Wyoming’s inadequate management plan threatened the population. Though little has changed in that plan, which allows the animals to be shot on sight throughout much of the state, the Service will green light the state to take over.

Following are comments from Dr. Sylvia Fallon, Senior Scientist and Wildlife Conservation Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“Today’s decision by the Fish and Wildlife Service allows Wyoming to return to the days of random wolf killing that led to the species’ endangerment in the first place. Rather than provide the leadership necessary to ensure true recovery of wolves in the West, the Service has once again allowed politics to win out over science and the law.

The Wyoming plan is a case of history repeating itself. It’s masquerading the same shoot-on-sight strategies that wiped wolves out as a management plan. And it will only serve to reverse what had been one of the world’s greatest wildlife conservation success stories.”

Dr. Fallon just added a post to NRDC’s Switchboard blog on today’s decision at:

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/sfallon/today_the_fish_and_wildlife.html 

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Livingston, Montana, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.