Wolf de-listing in effect as of this Friday
Idaho, Wyoming and Montana will take over full management of gray wolves on Friday, March 28 as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ends a recovery effort that began when the animals were first reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in the mid 1990’s.
According to Ed Bangs, a Wildlife Service biologist who led the recover effort, “It’s been a success story, and we got more wolves in more places than we thought. Delisting is the right thing to do, and it’s the right time. I might even have a glass of champagne on Friday.”
It is estimated that 1,500 wolves now roam the three states. Idaho and Montana have been handling the day-to-day management of their wolf populations for the last few years, but the federal government didn’t approve Wyoming’s plan until December.
In Idaho, wildlife officials said no immediate changes would occur with delisting. In Montana, the change will give ranchers in the northern half of the state new authority to shoot wolves caught harassing or attacking livestock, a power already held by ranchers in the state’s southern half.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has been preparing for a more significant overhaul, spokesperson Eric Keszler said. That includes the hiring of four new wolf management officers and a public information campaign to educate the state about new wolf hunting rules and state’s dual classification system.