Great Lakes Wolves Could Be Next to Lose Protected Status

A few decades ago, the wolves of the Great Lakes region faced extinction. The number of gray wolves in Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has since grown, but still faces threats.

Their cousins to the west, the gray wolves of the Rocky Mountains, will be the first species ever to be removed from the Endangered Species List. The decision has spurred federal officials to threaten Great Lakes wolves with the same fate.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been trying for years to cross wolves off of the Endangered Species List, but hasn't been successful due to lawsuits and warnings by wildlife advocacy and environmental groups. The agency says wolves attack livestock, hunting dogs and big game (which prevents the human hunter from getting a trophy kill), but instead of turning to nonviolent, alternative measures of control, the agency wants permission to kill wolves.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service argues that allowable killings are necessary to control the population in certain areas of the Great Lakes Region. The Center for Biological Diversity doesn't agree. Their lawsuits are part of the reason why protections have remained intact. The group believes that removing the wolf from protected status will only unravel the progress that's been made toward restoring them.

For now, public hunting would be prohibited, but each state has the power to revise the language of the proposal. Wisconsin's plan would drive numbers down to 350 — about half of what it is now — and that could put them right back into danger. Minnesota plans to offer officials a bounty for every wolf killed.

Collette A. Giese, a biologist and attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, says that even though wolves appear to be doing well in the region, packs are susceptible to disease. She feels that "until we deal with the threats these animals face, including disease and killing by people, it’s premature to lift federal protections."

Giese says the Center for Biological Diversity will take a look at the management plan proposed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, but if it's unacceptable, they are prepared to take legal action in order to continue protecting wolves.

Conservation Chief of Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources, Rebecca Schroeder,  also believes that leaving only 350 wolves in Wisconsin's wilderness isn't enough. Wolves only roam 5 percent of their former range.

Biologists have concluded that two species actually inhabit the midwest: the gray wolf and the eastern wolf. These two species have been interbreeding and creating a new hybrid species. Scientists at the Center for Biological Diversity say it is imperative for protections to remain intact for the recovery of both species — and the new hybrid species — to be successful.

Everyone agrees that the situation regarding wolves in the Great Lakes region is a complicated matter. With so much uncertainty, it's irresponsible to remove the wolves from the Endangered Species List. The Center for Biological Diversity wants the Fish and Wildlife Service to use its power to help in the national recovery program for wolves, instead of trying to destroy them.

Federal officials are asking asking for public opinion on the matter. Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that wolves must remain protected until threats are reduced and the population has truly recovered.

Photo credit: demented-pixie