Wolf De-Listed – Again

A federal appeals court Friday upheld a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2012 decision to remove the gray wolf in Wyoming from the endangered species list.

The ruling overturns a lower-court ruling from 2014 that reinstated protections of the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act, and Wyoming’s congressional delegation applauded the decision.

Senator John Barrasso pointed out that the state of Wyoming has already put together a working plan to protect the state’s wolf population, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the gray wolf has recovered enough to be delisted in the state.

Senator Mike Enzi called the ruling a win for Wyoming, adding that the courts should have never blocked the delisting in the first place. Wyoming Governor Matt Mead also applauded the decision, thanking everyone who has worked so hard for the recovery and delisting of wolves.

State officials will notify the public once the 2012 delisting rule is officially reinstated and once Wyoming is operating under its wolf management plan.