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HELENA, Mont. — Three states are seeking to intervene on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a lawsuit challenging the removal of gray wolves in the northern Rockies from the endangered species list.
The federal government declared the animal recovered from near-extermination across the region in March. That transferred wolf management to Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.
The three states plan public hunts for the animals this fall — the first in decades.
Last week, 12 environmental and animal rights groups filed a lawsuit in federal court in Missoula to return the animal to the endangered species list.
In attempting to enter the case, the states hope to fend off the litigation so the hunts can proceed.
