Conservation Groups Challenge Agency’s Wolf Protection Denials

Environmental groups filed two lawsuits against the US Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday, challenging the agency’s denial of Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

Montana and Idaho have implemented laws aimed at “drastically reducing” the local wolf populations, including the use of “new and highly effective ways” to kill the animal, according to the complaint filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and others in the US District Court for the District of Montana.

The wolves are hunted for recreation and to minimize conflict with livestock, the complaint said.

“Scientific ...