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 nterior Secretary Ken Salazar has announced that he is proceeding with a Bush-era plan for stripping wolves of their endangered species protection in Montana and Idaho, leaving them vulnerable to mass killing by hunters and state agents. "We're very disappointed that the Obama Administration has abandoned its commitment to science-based policies in this rush to hand wolf management back to the states," said Louisa Willcox, a senior wildlife advocate in NRDC's Montana office. "The situation is critical. Some 600 wolves could be gunned down, including newborn pups and nursing mothers during the birthing season." NRDC and Earthjustice will file suit in federal court to block the new rule.
While the return of wolves to the northern Rockies has been a resounding success, the wolf population -- now numbering about 1,650 -- is still well short of the 2,000 to 3,000 needed for biological recovery. If the government's "war on wolves" continues -- spurred on by the states and a relatively few vocal ranchers and elk hunters -- the wolf population could plummet quickly, dragging it back toward the brink of extinction. The timing could not be worse. Over the past year, the wolf population in Yellowstone National Park has declined by 27 percent, with more than 70 percent of wolf pups succumbing to disease. One pack alone lost all 24 of its pups. The last time that the Interior Department took away the wolf's federal protection, in 2008, 110 wolves were gunned down in 120 days. The slaughter stopped only after NRDC intervened and a federal judge ordered the wolf's protection restored. In its final days in office, the Bush Administration put forward this latest plan to abandon wolves -- a plan that Obama officials are now endorsing. "Wolves need federal protection just as much as they did last year, maybe more so," said Willcox. "We're calling on the Interior Department to hit the reset button on this terrible policy and take the time they need to do a thorough scientific review."
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“The situation is critical. Some 600 wolves could be gunned down, including newborn pups and nursing mothers during the birthing season.”
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