A coalition of wolf advocates and environmental groups challenged U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS’) decision to remove gray wolves from federal protections in the contiguous 48 states, in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California states USFWS ignored scientific information showing wolves are not recovered in the West and instead looked at the population in the Midwest and as a whole when it took the species off the ESA.
“From a scientific standpoint, wolves are nowhere near being recovered in the western United States,” said Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist and executive director with Western Watersheds Project. “The federal government has an obligation to keep wolves protected until robust and secure populations are in place throughout the West, and we intend to ensure that wolves get the legal defense they need against premature delisting.”
The coalition is asking the judge to remand and vacate the decision made by USFWS on Nov. 3, 2020, in violation of the ESA and the Administrative Procedure Act.
