Court Rules Against Obama Decision to Remove Gray Wolf Protections; Wolf Hunting Now Illegal
OutdoorHub Reporters 08.01.17
A BIG decision was made Tuesday when a federal appeals court ruled against the Obama administration’s 2011 decision to delist the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act making wolf hunting illegal in the lower 48.
According to Washington Examiner, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision was based on the fact that Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regulators “failed to reasonably analyze or consider two significant aspects of the rule – the impacts of partial delisting and of historical range loss on the already listed species.”
The decision has received both positive and negative feedback, but as the Detroit Free Press reports, many sportsmen believe gray wolves in the Great Lakes region need to be managed.
Take Tony Demboski, an Iron Mountain -area resident and president of the Upper Peninsula Sportsmen’s Alliance. He disagrees with the court’s ruling, and says he’s even talked to parents who are afraid to leave their kids at the bus stop because of wolves.
“We’ve got so many wolves up here, we don’t know what to do with them,” Demboski stated.
He also attributes the plummeting number of deer in the U.P. to wolf depredation, though research has shown that has only played a slight role in the population decline.
For now, after this most recent ruling against delisting, the gray wolf will remain the Trump administration’s responsibility. However, based on the rapid pace the White House is currently operating under, we’ll see how long that lasts.
