The Wolf Off The Endangered List?

The gray wolf is the largest wild member of the Canidae family.  The gray wolf used to populate a vast amount of Europe, Asia, and North America.  The wolf population decreased dramatically due to habitat destruction, human involvement, and many human-wolf encounters that led to local extinction of the wolf.  The wolf is now only protected in certain areas of the U.S.

In 2009 The gray wolf was removed from the ESA
( Endangered Species Act) in the Rockies, mainly Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.  This upset certain conservation organizations(which are suing the federal government) because they know the wolf is not yet populated enough to be removed from the list.  In order to be removed from the ESA conservation groups argue that there has to be 2,000 - 2,500 wolves in the Rockies area.  Currently there are only 1,600 wolves accounted for in the Rockies area.  If the wolf is removed now, conservation groups fear that their numbers are still to low and that the wolves will be over hunted leading to another huge decrease in the population.    



http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0507-hance_wolfoped.html