Rocky mountain wolves were unceremoniously removed from the endangered species list earlier this year. While it suggests that the wolves are doing better and the packs are growing (the whole point of having them on there!), taking them off the list had opened the way for hunting these magnificent animals and apparently hunts were scheduled for later this year in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.
According to A.P.,
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula granted a preliminary injunction late Friday restoring the protections for the wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Molloy will eventually decide whether the injunction should be permanent.
In a terrific understanding of the biology involved, Judge Malloy realized that significant interbreeding of the packs had not yet been achieved :
In his ruling, Molloy said the federal government had not met its standard for wolf recovery, including interbreeding of wolves between the three states to ensure healthy genetics.
"Genetic exchange has not taken place," Molloy wrote in the 40-page decision.
Here is a link to the article http://news.yahoo.com/...
One of my favorite memories of traveling through Yellowstone is spying the wolves through the spotting scopes of wolf enthusiasts. They are always happy to share their optics and their knowledge of even individual wolves in the resident packs.
So thanks go out to Judge Malloy and the efforts of the wild life biologists behind the scenes!
UPDATE: ok, I changed the title! Sorry, I was trying to be ironic about the activist judge. Point well taken.