Wolf Kill Policies Illegal, Groups Charge

Federal Wolf Management Plans in Wisconsin and Michigan Adopted Without Required Public Input

(08/05/2005) - WASHINGTON - Charging that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is authorizing the killing of endangered wolves in Wisconsin and Michigan in violation of the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws,  12 conservation and animal protection groups today went to court to block the permits.  The federal agency made an illegal end run around the public input process by failing to allow for any public comment on its actions.

“Anyone who’s ever been involved in wolf conservation knows it’s an issue of immense public interest, yet the Service utterly shut the public out of the process,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife, the lead plaintiff in the case.  “In authorizing the killing of wolves in clear violation of federal law, they set a horrible precedent that can’t go unchallenged.”

At issue are the Service’s continuing efforts to circumvent the ESA regarding wolf conservation.  In April of 2003, the Service reclassified and reduced protections for wolves across most of the Lower-48 United States.  In Michigan and Wisconsin , wolves were reclassified from “endangered” to “threatened” status under the Endangered Species Act, giving those states the authority to kill wolves that preyed on livestock, instead of using non-lethal means such as relocating problem wolves.  

In January of this year, a federal district court ruled that the Service’s reclassification of wolves violated the federal Endangered Species Act, the Service’s own policies, and the intent of Congress.  That court ruling reinstated full protected status to wolves throughout the Lower-48.  To get around the court ruling, the Service then issued the wolf kill permits directly to Wisconsin and Michigan under the theory that allowing limited wolf killing will “enhance the propagation or survival of the affected species.”  Whether limited authorizations of lethal control would in fact assist in improving the overall prospects of the species has not been demonstrated and is an issue that should be thoroughly examined through a full and open public process.

“There’s no doubt this was an attempted end-run around the federal court’s ruling,” said Schlickeisen. “The Service was required to publish a notice in the Federal Register of its intent to issue these permits, allow the public to comment, and then respond to the public’s input.  Given the huge national interest in wolf conservation, this is all the more reason for them to have abided by the law.”

Other conservation and animal protection organizations that are plaintiffs with Defenders of Wildlife in the lawsuit include: American Lands Alliance, Animal Protection Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of Animals and Their Environment (“FATE”), Help Our Wolves Live (“HOWL”), The Humane Society of the United States, Indigenous Environmental Network, Klamath Forest Alliance, Minnesota Wolf Alliance, RESTORE: The North Woods, and Wildlands Project. 

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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 490,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues.

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Contact(s):

Brad DeVries, (202) 772-0237
William Lutz, (202) 772-0269