Federal Judge Donald W. Molloy Stops Wolf Hunting in Idaho and Montana
Judge Donald Molloy, a Clinton appointee, said Thursday that he ruled specifically on the law, stating:
“The Endangered Species Act does not allow the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to list only part of a ‘species’ as endangered, or to protect a listed distinct population segment only in part as the Final Rule here does”
Grey Wolf - US Fish and Wildlife Service
The Idaho Fish and Game Deputy Director reacted quickly to the action by the Federal Government, stating “We’re frustrated; we’re angry; we’re disappointed.” “We’ve played by the rules, but his decision allows procedural technicalities to overcome sound science and common sense.” Governor Butch Otter and his Democratic opponent, Keith Allred, both echoed that sentiment, saying the State of Idaho should have the right to manage it’s wolf population.
With the current administration seeking a much larger footprint for the federal government, that might be asking a lot.
Read more here: Idaho Statesman Article
There were quick calls for an appeal by Gov. Butch Otter who sees the assumed numbers of wolves needed for “population sustainability” being conveniently increaseed by radical environmental groups. In our last blog post on Idaho wolf hunting we feared that continuous efforts with lawsuits could achieve this setback. However, we at Wildlife Callers remain confident that the need for Idaho, Montana, and other states, to manage wolves on locally based field science and declining populations of elk, deer, moose, and other prey mammals will eventually win out in the court system. We’ll keep you informed of this court case as it proceeds.
We are also keenly aware of the millions of private and taxpayer dollars being spent to keep the wolves from being de-listed and completely untouchable. How small must the ungulate herds get before the groups claiming to care about the environment allow hunters to balance the wolf population against the deer, elk, and moose populations?
A Shiras Moose tag in Idaho is already a “once in a lifetime” tag–on par with hunting a Bighorn Sheep in Arizona (currently being eaten to extinction by cougars with the help of “environmentalists”). The environmentalists keep telling us that the wolf is a national treasure–we contend the Shiras population in the US is too. Why must one be completely decimated so the other’s population numbers can satisfy a good feeling about wolves grounded in raw emotion and anti-hunting sentiment?
For a good article about large wolf populations in the US and Canada (wolves ignore borders), wolf control efforts in Canada, funding for the wolf introduction program, impact to the Yellowstone elk herd, and more click here: Has The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Become A Rogue Agency?
