WYOMING — In response to the recent live wolf possession in Daniel, Wyo., a coalition of organizations filed a 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for their refusal to restore Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections to the Western gray wolf.
On Monday, April 8, conservation organizations filed two lawsuits in opposition to the agency’s decision not to restore federal protections for Northern Rockies wolves.
According to the Center for a Humane Economy, this coalition of groups has produced new analysis that gives greater weight to the impact of human-caused mortality on the canid species. The lawsuits also say that FWS relied on flawed population data when assessing wolf-reduction measures in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Conservation organizations argue that the FWS’ failure to list the Western gray wolf violates both the ESA and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). This notice is the third filed in recent months by various organizations against the FWS for delisting the gray wolf under the ESA.
The gray wolf has a long and controversial history since its reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park in 1995 and 1996. According to the FWS, the Northern Rocky Mountains population was delisted due to recovery in 2011, except for Wyoming which was delisted in 2017. Remaining wolf populations in the contiguous United States were delisted due to recovery in 2021.
On Tuesday, April 30, Colorado Public Radio reported that a bill from GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert to federally delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act passed through the U.S. House in a vote 209 to 205. This bill would remove protections for the gray wolf in the lower 48 states, and prohibit judicial review of the decision.
In Wyoming, the FWS released an initial 90-day finding in September 2021 stating that relisting the Western gray wolf as endangered “may be warranted.” On February 2, 2024, the federal agency announced its final decision on the petition, determining that ESA protection of the western gray wolves was “not warranted.”
The FWS said in a statement, “Analysis indicates that wolves are not at risk of extinction in the Western United States now or in the foreseeable future.”
Three weeks after this decision, several news sources and social media channels reported the incident of a gray wolf being run over by a snowmobile and brought into a bar in Daniel. This has created a public outcry to add additional protections for the gray wolf.
According to WyoFile, Humane Society of the United States attorney Margie Robinson has asked the FWS to review and reconsider the recent data on gray wolves.
“Under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service cannot ignore crucial scientific findings,” Robinson said in press release. “Rather than allow states to cater to trophy hunters, trappers and ranchers, the agency must ensure the preservation of wolves — who are vital to ensuring healthy ecosystems — for generations to come.”
The coalition is awaiting the expiration of the 60-day notice period before filing their lawsuit in federal court.
