The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is putting a plan in place to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list soon.
Agri-Pulse says the announcement drew praise from farmers and ranchers as well as condemnation from environmental groups, who say they’ll take legal action to keep the federal protection in place.
The American Farm Bureau Federation is one farm group that’s pleased with the announcement, saying the plan to delist the gray wolf is a triumph of common sense.
“There are more than 5,000 gray wolves in the United States and more than 10 times that many in Canada,” says Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall.
“The U.S. population of gray wolves far surpasses the recovery targets called for by the Endangered Species Act. Populations have reached critically high numbers in many states.”
In fact, Farm Bureau says the wolves are not just preying on livestock, they’re also pushing elk and deer onto U.S. farms and ranches, which leads to even more destruction.
“The administration’s decision to delist the gray wolf is the culmination of a decades’ long battle that’s pitted science-based decision making against environmental activism in the courts,” Duvall adds.
“The Bush and Obama Administrations supported delisting the gray wolf. Populations have far surpassed the recovery thresholds set for by recovery plans but too many environmentalists fail to recognize the success.”