The New York Times has an editorial about wolves:
Wolves remain on the endangered species list in one state: Wyoming. That protection is about to go away after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar cut a bad deal with Wyoming’s governor, Matt Mead, to turn wolf management over to the state.
Wyoming got nearly everything it wanted. The Federal Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the status of endangered species, got almost nothing. And wolves will lose out entirely. The state is obliged to keep only a hundred of its 340 wolves alive, including ten breeding pairs.
Under the new plan, wolves can be shot, without a license, anywhere in the state, with two exceptions. In the northwest part of Wyoming— near Yellowstone National Park— they can be shot only with a license. And in parts of three western counties, wolves will be protected from 15 October to the end of February, to allow the possibility of genetic mingling with other packs in other states.
Wolves have made a remarkable comeback, thanks to federal protections. Salazar hasn’t held Wyoming even to the same standard as Idaho and Montana, where wolves are reviled, but can be shot only with a hunting license or if they’ve damaged livestock. Wolves may have recovered, but their survival is again at stake.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved the plan last week, and the state legislature will certainly endorse it. Then the plan must go through a federal approval process, including a public comment period. But, at this point, approval looks to be a foregone conclusion. Wyoming hopes to be shooting wolves next fall. In Idaho and Montana, wolf-hunting season has already begun.
Rico says they're wonderful creatures, and should be preserved. But they ain't big dogs, and one should treat them with respect, and at a distance.
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