Hunting Groups Say Wildlife Service Is Overdue on Wolf Listings

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is past its deadline under the Endangered Species Act to figure out whether to ease protections for two gray wolf populations, four hunting associations said in a new suit.

The groups filed two petitions in June, 2023, asking the FWS to delist from the ESA the Western Great Lakes population of gray wolves and to demote the West Coast wolf population from endangered to threatened, but no action has been taken so far, the groups alleged.

The groups argue that the wolf populations have surpassed recovery criteria for more than 20 years. Moreover, each ...