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Wolves In Yellowstone

Gray wolves once roamed throughout Yellowstone National Park, but for 60 years the majestic animals were not seen there again, and were listed as Endangered in 1967. In 1995 and 1996, under a provision of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 66 wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone and central Idaho. The reintroduction marked an important victory for environmentalists but was followed by bitter opposition, spurred by the American Farm Bureau Federation. In 1997, a Wyoming District Court judge ruled that the reintroduction program was illegal, since some wild animals had allegedly been sighted by ranchers; the judge ordered that all wolves be removed. Following that contentious decision, environmentalists and the Department of the Interior filed a joint appeal in 1998. Last week, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver unanimously overturned the lower court's 1997 ruling and stated that the wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park will remain there. This recent ruling is seen as a boon for species recovery efforts nationwide and comes only two months after a separate federal court ruling dismissed an attempt by the New Mexico Cattlegrowers Association to end the Mexican Wolf reintroduction program. Claiming that wolves endanger livestock, ranchers and state farm bureaus oppose the five-year-old reintroduction program. However, a $100,000 Compensation Trust program (Defenders of Wildlife) is already in place to compensate ranchers at market value for all verified losses to wolves. This week's In The News highlights the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction program. The eight resources listed above provide background information and current status on the wolf recovery program.
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Date of Scout Publication
January 19th, 2000
Date Of Record Creation
April 7th, 2003 at 11:56am
Date Of Record Release
April 7th, 2003 at 11:56am
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