Montana wolf laws prompt Endangered Species petition

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (1) – 8/3/21

During this year’s legislative session, a series of bills were passed in Montana and Idaho that lengthened trapping season for wolves, allowed baited hunting, approved the use of snares, and more that targeted Montana’s wolf population. As a result, 70 different conservation, animal welfare and indigenous groups have come together to requesting Endangered Species protections for Western wolves. Additionally, Idaho passed a bill that would allow private contractors to kill 90 percent or more of the state’s wolves. “Wolves remain completely absent from suitable habitats or perilously close to extinction in many western states, and the handful of states surrounding Yellowstone National Park are now driving the larger populations toward extinction—endangered species listing—by ramping up wolf killing and stripping away hunting and trapping regulations in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming,” Erik Molvar, Western Watersheds Project executive director told KBZK.