Judge rejects attempt to delay lawsuit on gray wolves
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The Associated Press reports that a federal judge in Montana has rejected the government’s request to delay a lawsuit seeking to place the gray wolf back on the endangered species list, saying he’s ‘unwilling to risk more deaths.’
At least 39 of the Northern Rockies’ 1,500 gray wolves have been killed since they lost federal protection in March. That action placed wolves under the authority of state wildlife agencies in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. The three states have relaxed rules for killing wolves that harass or harm livestock. The states are also planning public hunts later this year -- the first in decades. Environmental and animal rights groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week, claiming the loss of federal protection threatened the wolf’s successful recovery. They also asked for a court injunction to restore federal control over wolves while the case is pending. For the rest of the story on gray wolves, go to latimes.com.
-- Alice Short