The Range of the Gray Wolf

"Once the most widely distributed mammal in the world on land, the gray wolf freely roamed the northern hemisphere. Today it is extinct in many countries and in much of the United States. Listed for protection in 1973 under the Endangered Species Act the gray wolf has made a limited recovery in the Western United States. “The U.S. Department of the Interior's decision to remove Endangered Species Act protections —to “delist” wolves—threatens to return Northern Rocky Mountain wolves to the brink of extinction by allowing the states of Idaho and Montana to kill more than 500 wolves, and, conceivably, up to about 80 percent of the current wolf population in these two states.” Hunting season began on September 1, 2009 in Idaho and on September 15, 2009 in Montana."

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Use non-lethal methods to protect livestock from wolves.  Support the reintroduction of the grey wolf, which positively impacts ecosystems including beavers, elk, coyotes and willows.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Visit WCS and Defenders.