Wolf Howls
It was only a matter of time.
Now the much-anticipated and misguided wolf lawsuit is upon us.
Cool heads and common sense need to prevail in this one. Any reasonable jurist
would toss the lawsuit back in the faces of those seeking an injunction to
stop wolf-management plans in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The courts are no
place to decide this kind of business.
I can tell you from personal experience, it would be difficult to find any
agency or group of people more dedicated to the preservation of wildlife than
the folks who work at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The people in that
agency I have known and worked with in other states were dedicated, ethical
folks, who frequently — at the risk of their jobs — fall to the
side of caution when it comes to endangered species.
In every case, in every state they have been introduced, wolves have proven
time and time again that they not only survive, but thrive. It’s true
in Wyoming and the rest of the Rocky Mountain West.
There hasn’t been any wholesale slaughter of wolves in Wyoming since
the delisting took effect last March. There isn’t likely to be.
Frankly, it’s in the best interest of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department
to ensure the survival of wolves in this state. If they don’t, the feds
are armed and ready to step in and relist wolves as an endangered species.
Everyone at Game and Fish knows this and has repeatedly said they don’t
intend to let it happen.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took it’s time and years of negotiations
to finally endorse Wyoming’s wolf-management plan. It needs to be given
a chance.
