From euronews.com:
Wolves have made an impressive comeback in Europe in recent decades, but their presence has angered some farmers and led to a hostile backlash.
Usually, the return of a famous creature once driven to the brink of extinction would be a universal cause for celebration.
Particularly when it comes about, in part, through a conservation campaign backed by EU policy.
But this has not been the case for the return of the wolf in Europe.
From The Times of India:
Nagpur: A citizens science initiative by nature enthusiasts from Pune has facilitated researchers from National Centre for for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, to detect the first-ever wolf-dog hybridization.
From KPQ.com:
The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is asking to keep the gray wolf species’ protected status after successfully increasing the wolf population.
According to WDFW, the state’s gray wolf population has grown nearly 28% each year since 2008, and hasn’t published a status report on the wolves since listing them as endangered back in 1980.
From The Fence Post:
“We are disappointed that Gov. Jared Polis has vetoed SB23-256 — Management of Gray Wolves Reintroduction. This bipartisan bill was crafted to ensure that the state’s investment of $1 million to expedite the 10(j) determination doesn’t go to waste,” said Chad Franke, president of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. “While we are disappointed in the governor for vetoing this bill, we would still like to share our deepest gratitude to the legislators from the Western Slope, particularly Reps. Meghan Lukens, Reps. Matt Soper, Senator Dylan Roberts, and Sen. Perry Will, that fought so hard to get this bill within inches of the finish line,” Franke continued.
This bill would not have halted the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado. It simply would have required that the 10(j) ruling by U.S. Fish and Wildlife be in place prior to the reintroduction. The state has demonstrated the importance of the 10(j) rule in testimony and by allocating $1 million last year to fast track the environmental impact study that’s required for the 10(j) ruling. If they move forward with the reintroduction prior to the 10(j) rule, they will have wasted the funds appropriated to fast track the analysis and the countless hours spent on the Wolf Management Plan. Without this rule, the management of wolves in Colorado falls on U.S. Fish and Wildlife due to their current endangered status under the Endangered Species Act. “If wolves are reintroduced prior to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife determination, the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife will lose the tools it needs to manage the population of reintroduced wolves and the damage they will bring with them,” Franke continued.
From Sierra:
More than two years after voters in Colorado passed a resolution to bring wolves back to the area, the state’s wildlife commission finally has a plan in place to have paws on the ground by year’s end. The commission approved its final plan earlier this month to the delight of many wolf advocates, who, like most stakeholders, admit the plan is imperfect but better than most. The forthcoming Colorado reintroductions mark one of the most significant steps in wolf rewilding since wolves were returned to Yellowstone National Park more than 25 years ago.
From The Colorado Sun:
The final plan for wolf reintroduction on the Western Slope approved earlier this month by Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners called the federal government’s approval of an experimental population of wolves in the state “a critical component to the success” of the plan. The plan is required by the passage of Proposition 114, approved by voters in November 2020, which directs CPW to restore wolves in Colorado.
From wgme.com:
A fourth possible wolf was documented in northern Maine woods on camera by a local organization in recent weeks, but there is disagreement between the state and citizen scientists about whether wolf populations truly exist in Maine.
From The Conversation:
Large carnivores like wolves are returning to areas they used to occupy, leading scientists to wonder whether they may once again fulfill important ecological roles. But wolves’ return to the landscape can affect other nearby animals in complex ways.
Our research, published in the journal Science, shows that an increase in predators can lead smaller carnivores, like coyotes and bobcats, to seek refuge near people – but humans then kill them at even higher rates than large predators do.
From Wyoming Game and Fish department:
CHEYENNE – Wyoming’s gray wolf population continues to meet all management goals, according to the 2022 Wyoming Gray Wolf Monitoring and Management annual report by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and partnering agencies.
The newly-published document details gray wolf populations and conflict trends that indicate stable and predictable management of the species. Wyoming is maintaining wolf numbers at healthy levels, and 2022 marked the 21st consecutive year wolf numbers in Wyoming have exceeded the criteria outlined for recovery of the species.
From The Denver Gazette:
When Colorado voters approved a proposition to legalize marijuana, the legislature was tasked with penning the fine print to successfully enact the will of the voters. The governor at the time, John Hickenlooper, signed bills to regulate the drug including limits on blood levels when driving, limits on out-of-state resident purchases, taxation, licensing fees, inventory tracking, security requirements, waste disposal, packaging, and even advertising. Even years later, there seems to be no shortage of marijuana bills introduced with the legislature engaging with stakeholders, hearing public comment, and passing bills that are the will of their constituents.
Wolf bills are no different. While the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission was tasked with the final approval of the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, legislators had to step in with bills to ensure the proverbial wheels don’t fall off the operation.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.