Victory! Petitions to Reduce or Remove Protections for Wolves are Denied

Petitions from hunting organizations that aimed to reduce or remove protections for gray wolves in the western Great Lakes and West Coast regions have been rejected by Federal wildlife regulators.

Groups such as the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and various bear hunting associations submitted their petitions to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in June 2023. They argued that gray wolves had sufficiently recovered and requested that distinct populations be delisted in the Great Lakes or downgraded from endangered to threatened in West Coast states.

In response, the agency stated the petitions did not provide enough scientific or commercial evidence to justify such actions. The Humane Society of the United States supported the decision, with Amanda Wight, a senior wildlife protection manager, emphasizing the importance of adhering to scientific findings. She pointed out that wolves remain absent from large parts of their historical range.

Wight warned that without federal protections, states could initiate hunting and trapping seasons, highlighting Wisconsin‘s 2021 wolf hunt where hunters killed 218 wolves in less than three days. This exceeded the designated quota, which was shared with Ojibwe tribes.

On the other hand, representatives from hunting groups expressed disappointment. Todd Adkins, a senior vice president at the Sportsmen’s Alliance, suggested the decision was politically motivated and ignored data indicating that wolf populations in the Great Lakes had surpassed recovery targets. Adkins noted that Wisconsin had 98 verified wolf conflicts in the past year, up from previous years, though these incidents involved a small fraction of the state’s farms.

Adkins criticized the agency for delaying action on the petitions until legal action was threatened. Hunting groups maintain that gray wolf populations have far exceeded the goals of a 1992 recovery plan, which targeted 100 to 200 wolves outside Minnesota. Currently, there are about 4,400 wolves in the Great Lakes and 2,800 across seven western states.

Wight countered that the 1992 plan is outdated and noted that a new national recovery plan for wolves is expected by the end of the year. Gray wolves are listed as endangered in 43 states, following a 2022 ruling that reinstated protections. Previous attempts to delist wolves have been contentious, with political figures advocating for changes.

Wisconsin lawmakers remain divided. While some have proposed expanding protections, others seek to delist wolves entirely. Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany criticized the Biden administration’s stance and expressed hope for delisting under future leadership.

The rejection of these petitions represents a crucial victory for wildlife Conservation and animal welfare. Removing protections for gray wolves could lead to excessive hunting and trapping, pushing these animals back toward endangerment.

This article by Trinity Sparke was first published by One Green Planet on 13 January 2025. Lead Image: Image Credit :Willy Mobilo/Shutterstock.

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