Managing Michigan’s: Wolves Is it time to reinstate a hunt?
From the Mackinac Center for Public Policy:
Few issues can provoke as intense or immediate passion as removing protections for an animal under the Endangered Species Act — also known as delisting — or the conservation of charismatic megafauna — large, easily recognizable plant or animal species. The decision to delist Michigan’s gray wolf population, and to transfer their management back into the hands of the states, hits both of those sensitive areas.
Wolves are native to Michigan, and they were once found throughout the state. But aggressive predator control programs in the 19th and 20th centuries, including a state-paid bounty, caused them to nearly die out. To stave off extirpation, or their total loss in Michigan, wolves were placed under full state protections, and they also were listed under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1973.