The number of gray wolves in Oregon, now about 200, have leveled off in recent years because most live in northeast Oregon where it’s becoming crowded for the species.
Five gray wolves captured by Colorado wildlife agents in Oregon were released into the wild on the Western Slope on Monday, fulfilling a voter-approved 2020 ballot initiative to reintroduce the animals in Colorado in the name of restoring ecological balance.
A federal judge Friday night denied a last-minute request by Colorado livestock producers to halt the reintroduction of gray wolves on the Western Slope.
Chris Servheen of the Montana Wildlife Federation warned FWP that there was a potential reason so many non-sportsmen were at the meeting asking why unethical methods were being allowed and why it was legal to “waste” or abandon the carcasses.
Montana’s trapping season for wolves was set to open on Monday in many areas, but it’s now on hold in much of the state, after a federal judge’s order.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks must cut its wolf trapping season back to six weeks across the western two-thirds of the state to prevent injuries to grizzly bears.
To comply with a federal court order, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule on Thursday to reinstate federal protections for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act in 45 U.S. states.
Oregon officials agreed to the plan after their counterparts in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming declined to help Colorado over concerns that a growing wolf population could migrate to their states.
Conservationists want the state to update rules for when the animals can be killed after having run-ins with livestock. State wildlife officials are opposed.