Endangered wolves set to be culled
2010-09-05 21:33
Billings - Government agencies are seeking broad new authority to ramp up killings and removals of grey wolves in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes, despite recent court actions restoring the animal's endangered status across most of the country.
Various proposals would gas pups in their dens, surgically sterilise adult wolves and allow "conservation" hunts to drive down the predators' numbers.
Once exterminated across most of the West, wolves made a remarkable comeback in recent decades. Yet as packs continue to multiply, their taste for livestock is stoking a backlash.
Wildlife officials said that without public wolf hunting, agencies need greater latitude to eliminate problem packs.
Wolf advocates said the response to marauding wolves is too heavy-handed.
- SAPA