Earthjustice and Defenders of Wildlife Announce Victory

Wolves Safe in Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies - For Now


Earthjustice and Defenders of Wildlife have experienced a major victory in their legal fight to save the gray wolves of the Northern Rockies!

The Bush administration advised that it will vacate its legal defense of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule declaring that gray wolves in the Northern Rockies have fully recovered. That decision resulted in the removal of the gray wolf from the endangered species list. Finally, the Fish and Wildlife Service has come to terms with the fact that there are significant scientific and legal problems with that plan. The delisting of wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies just doesn't make sense.

Thank you to Earthjustice and Defenders of Wildlife and to everyone who loves the wolves and is willing to donate money and time to restore and maintain their protections.

Please know that the battle is not over. The Fish and Wildlife Service are going to review the rule and could re-issue it. The Fish and Wildlife Service together with Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana must now negotiate a more sensible and responsible plan to ensure that wolves are fully recovered with healthy, sustainable, and diverse population levels before they are removed from the list of federally protected species. Even then, we will need to keep a close watch because there has always been and will always be people who misunderstand and fear the wolf. That in turns caused the villainization and hatred of our wolf friends.

We all want wolves to recover so that there is no longer a need to have them on the endangered species list; however, as long as there are those individuals that see the wolf as a villain and a dangerous predator, they need to remain on the endangered species list . . . because people threaten them. They need to be de-listed under humane conditions, with all proper protections and rights that they deserve. We don't want them hunted, trapped, poisoned, or gunned down from planes.

Thank you to all who care about wolves and keeping them wild, free, and protected.

This is far from over, and we must remain vigilant. The fight to ensure that wolves are protected is not a recent battle nor is it a battle that will end after the upcoming elections.

All eyes must remain on these areas including Alaska and the Southwest! Please go to Defenders of Wildlife and take the time to sign all of the petitions available to let government know how you feel about wolves so that we can Save The Wolves Now!