Animal welfare and conservation groups are suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to get gray wolves back on the Endangered Species List. This comes as the Cowboy State is thinking about changing how it manages predatory animals.
Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy and Project Coyote are among the groups suing the federal government. They say states like Wyoming liberalized the legal killings of wolves, which is why they must be protected.
The intent to sue from these groups came shortly after news broke about an alleged wolf torture incident in Sublette County in late February that sparked international outrage.
Since then, the Wyoming Legislature has created a Treatment of Predators Working Group. Rep. Liz Storer (D-Jackson) recently told the Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resource Committee they hope to introduce a bill that would make it law to kill an injured or disabled animal immediately.
“It [the working group] focused on statutory changes to require that an injured or disabled animal be promptly euthanized,” said Storer. “This would result in a separate violation that could result in an additional fine for the actions Mr. Roberts took last winter.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 60 to 90 days to respond to the lawsuit.
Editor’s note: Liz Storer is the president and CEO of the George B. Storer Foundation, which provides a grant to Wyoming Public Media.
