BILLINGS, Mont. — Wolves in parts of the Northern Rockies and the Great Lakes region come off the endangered species list todayopening the way for public hunting of the animals to begin in some states this fall.
Prior attempts to remove federal protection for the predators have been rejected by judges, and new legal challenges are certain.
Gray wolves were listed as endangered in 1974, after they had been wiped out across the lower 48 states by hunting and government-sponsored poisoning.
Today, more than 1,300 wolves roam the mountains of Montana and Idaho. An estimated 4,000 live in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Federal officials say the threat of extinction has passed and that the population is large enough to survive on its own — even with plans to resume hunting in Idaho and Montana this fall. The Associated Press
