Advocates Sue U.S. Government , to Make Decision , on Wolf Protections.
On August 9, wildlife advocates sued federal officials for missing a deadline to decide if protections for grey wolves should be restored in the Rocky Mountains.
The Associated Press reports that many Republican-led states have made it easier to hunt and kill the predators.
The increase in hunting poses a potential threat to wolves across the region.
Last September, the Biden administration said that protections for wolves may need to be restored due to increased hunting in Idaho and Montana.
Last September, the Biden administration said that protections for wolves may need to be restored due to increased hunting in Idaho and Montana.
After missing the deadline, advocates urged a Montana judge to force federal officials to make a final decision on the matter.
By the 1930s, wolves had been nearly exterminated across most of the U.S. under government-sponsored poisoning and trapping campaigns.
In the 1990s, grey wolves were reintroduced from Canada into the northern U.S. Rockies.
.
Since being reintroduced, growing populations in wilderness areas across Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have expanded to Oregon, Washington and California.
In 2021, Republican governors in Idaho and Montana signed laws that loosened laws restricting when, where and how wolves can be killed.
.
Advocates fear increased hunting has the potential to reduce wolf populations to below sustainable levels
