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Feds Propose Removing Protections For Endangered Gray Wolves

Gray wolves used to number in the Millions in North America. Now a population of fewer than 5,000 roams the lower 48 states. And those are about to lose their federally protected status. Marcus Bellissimo reports.

The public comment period ends May 14. You can submit comments at this federal website.

 

 

Photo: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife/Flickr

8 Comments

  1. Gary douvia on May 7, 2019 at 6:18 pm

    Wolves are recovered in five or more western States . Washington has 2-300 wolves in Eastetn Washington and have no concern about being under threat of not recovering. They have become a so plentiful that they have helped destroy the endangered woodland caribou and will soon make our whitetail deer classified as threaten or endangered. The cattle industry and N E Washington hunting industry are almost destroyed. Wake up politicians . !

  2. Steve Dell on May 7, 2019 at 6:43 pm

    The grey Wolfe numbers are far higher than the game department list’s and already have devistated our ungulate numbers. The Wolfe’s numbers are increasing at an alarming rate. The DFW has no way of keeping track of the wolf numbers as very few of them are collord. I personally have seen the steady decline of our moose and other ungulates. I can’t figure how anyone no matter what side of this debate one stands how they can value one species is more important than several other species. The government and DFW have completely failed to manage this problem and now we and our wild game as well as cattleman are paying to the price for something we never agreed with.

  3. Jethro Allen on May 7, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    There must be something done about the wolves there a huge problem for our ungulate populations to our ranchers and public safety we could open it wide like coyote hunting and we will never get rid of them.

  4. oly burnett on May 7, 2019 at 8:47 pm

    Grey wolves are NOT endangered…they are a DANGER to the citizens of this nation! Please remove the protection for them! We live in a rural area. Since they have been reintroduced to our area we are now living in fear of a wolf or a cougar attacking. The wolves have depleted the game in the mountains, thus reducing the food source for them and the cougars. They have now moved closer to populated areas for food. People, pets and livestock are going to become their food source!

  5. Robert Stafford on May 8, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    I see they say the gray wolves to use to be in the number in the millions which is a fabrication if they would look through history there were that many wolves in the United States they would’ve been Written about in history books and that would’ve been documented . If there had been that many Apex predators it would’ve been inpossible for people to coexist and live here , I urge you to delist the gray wolves as the people of the western United States are finding it impossible to live with these animals They are devastating our wildlife populations I live in Washington state where we had the only heard of Woodland Caribou in the lower 48 And our state sit back and let these wolves totally annihilate the population now there is none ! The Caribou were a endangered species and protected from everything but these Apex predators !

  6. Freddie Gianeecchini on May 8, 2019 at 9:40 pm

    Wolves through North America have never been endangered. If the wolves counted in all of Canada and Alaska. where their numbers are growing along with the lower USA, it would not be unforeseen that they would decline the ungulate populations to a point of nonrecovery in the next 10 to 20 years or sooner!
    It took 70 plus years to reduce their number with trapping .poisons , aerial gunning to get them to a manageable level .
    If hunting would be the management tool for keeping the wolves at a static level it would take years to bring that about as the wolves reproduce at a level of 30 percent a year and hunting as show by Wyoming, Montana and Idaho has not reduced the wolf population as commiserate with keeping the wolves in management directives with the ungulates populations within those states, let alone Wa. who has the least experience of all the states with wolf data and or management

    • Frank Palmer on May 11, 2019 at 5:59 am

      Since the gray wolf was listed as endangered and no means of population control, the wolves with help from cougars here in NE Washington State have depleted our big game herds past the point of being pathetically low. As the wolves prey has diminished we now literally have wolves in our yards. It is well documented the crisis our ranchers are having and killing pets in our yards where our children should be able to play without the fear of being killed. The Colville Tribe of Indians has opened unlimited season the wolves because of the damage they are doing to there big game herds, live stock, pets and the big threat to human safety. The wolves are certanily not the endangered species here and really never was.

  7. Frank Palmer on May 10, 2019 at 8:21 pm

    Since the gray wolf was listed as endangered and no means of population control; The wolves with some help from cougars here in NE Washington State have depleted our big game herds; deer elk and moose to the point of being pathetically low, worst ever by far. As the wolves prey has diminished in remote areas we now literally have wolves in our yards.It is well documented the crisis our ranchers are having and killing pets in our yards where our children should be able to play without the rear of being killed.
    The Colville Tribe of Indians has opened unlimited season on the wolves because of the damage they are doing to there big game herds, live stock, pets and the big threat to human safety. the wolf is certainly not the endangered species here and really never was. Please de list this viscous predator before human lives are last.

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