Leave the gray wolves alone, Times editorial says

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A Times editorial published today asks the Fish and Wildlife Service to re-list the gray wolves of the northern Rockies onto the Endangered Species Act after 35 of the animals have been killed.

‘The federal government will not intervene again on the wolves’ behalf until their numbers fall as low as 300. Taxpayers will then bear the burden of re-listing the wolves. That’s partly why environmentalists have gone to court over the delisting,’ the editorial states.

‘The Fish and Wildlife Service should re-list the wolves until it receives more reasonable management plans from the states involved, and should demand that the population fall no lower than 1,000. The wolves weren’t reintroduced to provide target practice for hunters,’ the editorial says.

Also in today’s Opinion section, author Gary Ferguson echoes The Times editorial board’s sentiment in a longer piece, calling the decision to remove the wolves from the list ‘heartless persecution.’

--Francisco Vara-Orta