Wolves are once again considered an endangered species in Wisconsin.
A federal judge Friday ruled in favor of the Humane Society, and called the 2012 delisting of wolves “arbitrary and capricious.”
Wisconsin State Director Melissa Tedrowe says the Humane Society is happy that wolves are back under federal control.
“We’re very pleased that the court has recognized that the basis for the delisting decision was flawed and stops wolf recovery in its tracks. All of us at the Humane Society of the United States feel that this ruling recognizes that granting state oversight has been a failed experiment.”
The ruling ends wolf hunting in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.
The Wisconsin DNR says it’s disappointed in the decision, and spokesperson Bill Cosh notes re-listing also means department staff can’t use lethal control as part of their management strategy. He says landowners can’t kill wolves that are preying on livestock.
“What people who have the removal permits need to know is that the permits that allow lethal removal of wolves, issued to landowners experiencing conflicts with wolves are no longer valid. In fact the Department of Natural Resources is in the process of contacting landowners to alert them of that.”
The Humane Society and several other animal rights groups were plaintiffs in the case.
A spokesperson for the Humane Society says 1500 wolves have been killed in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota since wolves went back under state control in 2012.
The combined wolf population in those three states is currently estimated at around 3500.
The most recent count at the end of last winter put Wisconsin’s wolf population at around 660.
