Europe’s conservation efforts are taking a different direction from those commonly used in US and the results are remarkable! The population of wolves, bears, wolverines and lynx has risen to near-record highs.

It is believed, that “The recovery may be due to Europe’s animal conservation approach — an approach that allows for the presence of large predators among human populations, instead isolating them in state parks and conservation areas the way North America does.”

And contrary to the common fear of wild animal attacking humans, while the population of large predators increased significantly it has not lead to animal attacks on humans.

“We really don’t have recorded wolf attacks in Europe.”

Please read the complete article at The Verge.

Earlier this week, federal protections were reinstated for gray wolves in Wyoming!

We’d like to share this really good coverage of the issue from Living With Wolves:

“The federal Endangered Species Act will again protect wolves in Wyoming, at least until the state delivers a responsible management plan. Our hope is that Wyoming will deliver a very responsible management plan. But, as it stands, so far the three states of the Northern Rockies, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, have yet to demonstrate the willingness to manage wolves in a responsible and sustainable manner.

“In 2012, the management of the gray wolf in Wyoming was transferred from federal to state control. Wyoming labeled the wolf a trophy-game animal in the areas immediately surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and a predator in the remainder of the state, an area representing 83% of Wyoming. In these areas, it was allowable to kill wolves on sight, without limit or need for a license. Wolves went from a federally protected endangered species to being treated as “vermin” in the vast majority of Wyoming, literally overnight. Now it appears, such extreme management will be corrected.

“U.S. District Court Judge, Amy Berman Jackson, has taken the management of wolves out of the hands of the state of Wyoming. Although she did not change wolves status to “endangered,” she did declare the state’s management plan inadequate and unenforceable.

“This very important development for wolves will hopefully send a message to other states with poor wolf management practices that they need to manage wolves as valuable assets to the ecosystem, not as “vermin” to be killed. Let’s hope this landmark decision is the beginning of a new wave of protections or sustainable and responsible management for wolves in the United States.

[info credit: Living With Wolves and NY Times]

“…in allowing the killing of Yellowstone wolves, MFWP is not just shooting wolves, but also itself in the foot, because this hunt is giving the entire tourism industry a black eye.”

“We are not opposed to Montana residents filling their freezers with elk, but the wolves were here first, and deserve protection from recreational killing.”

Sadly, Montana wolf hunt season underway and the controversy continues.

According to 9kxlh.com a group called the Yellowstone Wolf Patrol has entered into the Absoroka-Beartooth Wilderness directly adjacent to Yellowstone National Park to trail hunters in an effort to prevent the killing of the park’s wolves.

Unfortunately, while Montana’s Fish Wildlife and Parks has no issues of any kind with people monitoring the hunts, they do make it illegal to try and protect an animal targeted for a kill. Montana’s FWP game warden Sam Sheppard stated: “.. if any of the activists interfere with the hunt they will be violating Montana law. And that would include interfering such as getting in-between someone and the prey they are stalking, interfering with the natural movement of the animals whether it be wolves or elk or anything like that – or basically harassing hunters either verbally or by action.”

Yellowstone Wolf Patrol member Julie Henry said in the news release that, “…in allowing the killing of Yellowstone wolves, MFWP is not just shooting wolves, but also itself in the foot, because this hunt is giving the entire tourism industry a black eye.”

“We are not opposed to Montana residents filling their freezers with elk, but the wolves were here first, and deserve protection from recreational killing,” the press release continued.

[info credit: Living with Wolves and 9KXLH.com]

More has been uncovered about the mismanagement of the conflict between a rancher in Eastern Washington and the Huckleberry pack, one of the state’s “most stable and prolific packs.” The mistake of killing the breeding-female will likely cause chaos within the pack and result in unpredictable future behavior of the pack.

Read more details about the mishandling of the wolves, both on the part of the rancher who failed to implement the non-lethal measures required by the state’s wolf conservation management plan, and on the part of the DFW who shouldn’t have issued a kill order.

[info credit: Living with Wolves and The Olympian]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is scrapping any immediate plans to allow the beleaguered Mexican gray wolf population to expand north to the Grand Canyon, as many wolf advocates and scientists have advocated in recent years.

But wolves could still roam as far north as Flagstaff, so long as they didn’t cross Interstate 40.

The details of the Federal government’s draft environmental impact statement, as well as revisions to proposed rule changes for the wolf population in Arizona and New Mexico can be read here:

Feds: No wolves to roam in Grand Canyon

[info credit: Living with Wolves]

“Mexican Wolf 2 yfb-edit 1” by Clark, Jim (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) – [1] (Transferred from en.wikipedia). Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Great news! Keep up the great work Earthjustice and wolf advocates!

[info credit: Earth Justice]

BREAKING: Faced with a fierce legal challenge from Earthjustice and our partners, Idaho has just announced it is abandoning this year’s plan to slaughter wolves in one of America’s prime wilderness areas! It’s a huge testament to why we always say the earth needs a good lawyer… Read the full story at www.earthjustice.org

After killing nine wolves last winter, Idaho had planned to kill an additional 60% of the remaining wolves in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area just to increase elk populations for recreational hunters. But our attorneys immediately got to work and met them head on with a legal challenge. We’re thrilled with the good news and wanted to share this with you guys as soon as we heard.