Groups Sue to Stop Wolf Hunting and Trapping in the Midwest

800px-Grauwolf_P1130275-300x225A group of animal rights organizations has teamed up to file a lawsuit in an attempt to bring back federal protections for gray wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Wolf hunting and trapping seasons opened in Wisconsin and Minnesota in 2012, and they could open as soon as this year in Michigan as well.

The Humane Society of the United States, Born Free USA, Help Our Wolves Live and Friends of Animals and Their Environment told the Associated Press that they filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday. The groups contend that taking the western Great Lakes region wolves off of the endangered species list has threatened their recovery.

“In the short time since federal protections have been removed, trophy hunters and trappers have killed hundreds of Great Lakes wolves under hostile state management programs that encourage dramatic reductions in wolf populations,” Jonathan Lovvorn, chief counsel for animal protection litigation at the HSUS, told the Associated Press.

But the gray wolf is actually thriving in the Great Lakes region. The USFWS continues to monitor population estimates to ensure they do not fall too low, but the organization has deemed the gray wolf “fully recovered and healthy” in the region.

The initial USFWS recovery goal for the gray wolf population in Minnesota was 1,250 to 1,400. The population is currently estimated at about 3,000 wolves. Hunters and trappers took 413 in the state this year.

The USFWS recovery goal for Wisconsin was 350 wolves outside of Indian Reservations. The current population is estimated at around 800 wolves. Hunters and trappers took 116 wolves in the state during the 2012 hunting seasons.

Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission is considering adding a wolf hunting and trapping season in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as early as this year. USFWS population goals were set at 200 wolves for Michigan. The wolf population is currently estimated at around 700 wolves in the state.

Related Posts

9 thoughts on “Groups Sue to Stop Wolf Hunting and Trapping in the Midwest

  1. Increased amout of wolves over Bioligic Research of Game Dept. allows over kill of other game,future small
    domestic animals;will they attack small children hungry enough we are talking about a wild. They hunt the
    elk & Bison(Buffalo) in yellowstone national park,elk,& deer.

  2. I don’t see this lawsuit working at all! the population is still very healthy, there wasn’t even a dent put in the wolves numbers in from the 2012 season. I just wanna know why the animal rights activists are so set on saving the wolves and nothing else! the wolves literally pray on everything else! deer numbers have a noticeable drop in the last 10 years, the WDNR can’t get the elk herd thriving cause the wolves keep endangering it before it has a chance to grow. I think we should have absolutely no wolves at all! There was a reason our ancestors completely vanished them from the Western Great Lakes region and I believe they need to be vanished again. There’s absolutely no use for them. PERIOD!

  3. I don’t see this lawsuit working at all! the population is still very healthy, there wasn’t even a dent put in the wolves numbers in from the 2012 season. I just wanna know why the animal rights activists are so set on saving the wolves and nothing else! the wolves literally pray on everything else! deer numbers have a noticeable drop in the last 10 years, the WDNR can’t get the elk herd thriving cause the wolves keep endangering it before it has a chance to grow. It’d be like if one man was killing off every body else but one group of people liked that man so they fight to keep him from being imprisoned or sentenced to the death penalty upon him. There has to be a stop to all bad things no matter how much you like or enjoy it! I think we should have absolutely no wolves at all! There was a reason our ancestors completely vanished them from the Western Great Lakes region and I believe they need to be vanished again. There’s absolutely no use for them. PERIOD!

  4. These animal rights people are clearly thinking with their hearts. They seem to lack sufficient knowledge to realize that left unchecked all species of animals experience unenviable outcomes as a species. Sure would be nice to see the judicial system see through their tactics of delay delay delay. Wouldn’t it be something if some of the outcomes and others that Larry Holland mentioned really come to pass?????????

  5. Whos money was used to bring back the wolves in the first place. I bet none of the moneys used came from the Humane Society which seems to use only the moneys collected from its members for Court cases which are used as a stepping stone to get more money from persons who do not have anything to do with Wildlife consevation. Lets leave the protection of endangered animals to those persons who have spent a good part of their lives insuring the protection to those animals.

  6. Instead of killing them to reduce population, why don’t you stun gun then and spay and neuter? This would realize your goal to keep populations down. But the sites I’ve seen enjoy the mass cruelty and killing.

Leave a Reply