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Idaho wolf trapping halted. Court cites potential deaths of protected grizzlies

From East Idaho News:

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) – A federal court ruling will cut back Idaho’s wolf trapping and snaring season in large swaths of the state in response to claims that grizzly bears, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act, could be killed or injured by trapping or snaring devices.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale issued the summary judgment Tuesday as part of a 2021 lawsuit filed by environmental activist groups over the Idaho Legislature’s expansion of trapping seasons.

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Headlines

An Estonian wolf hunt took me deep into Europe’s culture war over culling the wild species

From Euronews:

Hunters killed up to 40% of Estonia’s wolves this winter, a quota challenged in court. How far will Europeans tolerate the wolf in our landscapes?

Frost shimmers in the crown of a birch tree as dozens of men crawl out of cars, vans and jeeps. They hang guns on their backs and trudge through the snow, their breath whirling in the freezing air.

In scattered formation, the hunters surround a forest near Suursoo, 25 kilometres from Estonia’s capital Tallinn. It’s January, 20 degrees below zero – perfect weather for a wolf hunt.

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Headlines

Colorado waits to see if released wolves will produce first pups this spring

From Coloradoan:

The clock is ticking on whether Colorado’s released wolves will breed and have pups this spring.

Wolf breeding season starts in mid-February, around Valentine’s Day, with pups born starting in mid-April.

At the March 13 Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said the GPS collars placed on the 10 wolves when they were released in Grand and Summit counties in late December will give them clues as to if or when the state might expect pups this spring.

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Headlines

Wolf trapping blocked in much of Idaho to protect threatened grizzlies

From Courthouse News Service:

A federal judge ruled late Tuesday that year-round wolf trapping and snaring must end in much of Idaho because the traps are likely to ensnare and harm grizzly bears protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Use Magistrate Judge Candy Dale’s decision will stop trapping and snaring in Idaho’s panhandle, Clearwater, Salmon and Upper Snake regions on both public and private lands between March 1 and Nov. 30, the grizzly bear’s non-denning season.

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Headlines

Mexico City residents help cops chase down a loose wolf

From AP News:

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Residents and schoolkids in Mexico City helped squads of police in a long-winded pursuit of a wolf loose in one of the city’s neighborhoods, authorities said.

Citizens and police officers chased the animal on foot and on motorbikes in the north-side neighborhood, before the medium-sized wolf finally was cornered “with the help of neighbors,” the city police department said late Monday.

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Headlines

Lawsuit Threatened To Re-List Wyoming Wolves As Endangered Species

From Cowboy State Daily:

Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have been killing too many wolves, so the predators need to go back on the endangered species list, according to coalition of environmental groups threatening to sue the federal government over it.

“The (U.S. Fish and Wildlife) Service’s finding seems to give the green light for states hostile to wolves to follow suit with Idaho, Montana and Wyoming’s aggressive killing regimes if they are eventually delisted and transferred to state management West-wide,” Kelly Nokes, an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center representing the groups, said in a statement.

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Headlines

Wolf Fencing Team Belgium: a catalyst for peaceful coexistence with wolves

From European Commission:

In 2018, wolves returned to Belgium. In the region of Flanders, the first (and still only) wolf pack has a territory of about 300 km², encompassing two large Natura 2000 sites at its core: ‘Mangelbeek en heide- en vengebieden tussen Houthalen en Gruitrode’, and ‘Vallei- en brongebied van de Zwarte Beek, Bolisserbeek en Dommel met heide en vengebieden’.

The high number of non-professional pet livestock owners in the area creates a particular risk of wolf attacks. Initial unrest and tensions escalated into major protests against the presence of wolves in the region. Public support for wolves and, by extension, for Natura 2000 and European nature restoration efforts in general, was at risk.

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Headlines

Developing a cost-effective technique to estimate wolf abundance in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

From TV6:

UPPER MICHIGAN (WLUC) – On a desolate two-track road, a man approaches on a snowmobile.

Watching the road ahead, he notices a line of tracks in the snow that lead from a dense stand of trees along a creek. The man stops the sled and as it idles, he leans over for a better view.

He’s found what he’s looking for – gray wolf tracks.

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Headlines

Colorado Legislature considers a bill on livestock losses from wolves

From RFD TV:

In Colorado, a new bill has been proposed to address the ongoing challenges of livestock losses caused by wolves. House Bill 24-1375, sponsored by Rep. Tammy Story, would set aside an unspecified amount of funds to help ranchers pay for the non-lethal tools.

“I’m hoping it will ensure that livestock owners commit to utilizing non-lethal co-existence tools in order to protect their herd and their livelihood,” she said in an interview with The Aspen Times. “At the same time, it provides gray wolves a fighting chance to establish and thrive here in Colorado.”

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Headlines

First Grant County wolf depredation of 2024 confirmed in Fox Valley

From Blue Mountain Eagle:

FOX VALLEY — Grant County’s first confirmed wolf depredation of the year took place earlier this month, state wildlife managers announced on Friday, March 15.

On Monday, March 11, investigators with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife examined a dead 2-day-old calf on private land in Fox Valley and determined it had been killed by wolves active in the Northside Wildlife Management Unit.

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