Defending Wolves in Wyoming

The wolf is an apex predator that plays a critical role in the ecological system. Wolves benefit the health of elk and deer populations by primarily hunting animals that are old, very young, injured, or diseased, leaving the healthiest animals to produce the next generation.

Clients

Natural Resources Defense Council Sierra Club

Attorneys

Abigail Dillen Timothy Preso

Regional Office / Program

Northern Rockies Office

Case Overview

Wyoming’s wolves are protected by the federal government. The state wants to take over management and allow the killing of wolves. The Fish and Wildlife Service denied Wyoming’s plan; ranchers, farmers, and others filed suit; and Earthjustice intervened to assure a stout defense of the wolves.

This continues a long string of cases and other activity by Earthjustice to protect wolf populations that either transplanted themselves from Canada or were deliberately introduced to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho during the Clinton administration.

They have had a benign effect on the native ecosystems where they have reestablished themselves, but have drawn murderous scorn from livestock growers who exaggerate the threat they pose to sheep and cattle.

A gray wolf. Wolves have had a benign effect on the native ecosystems where they have reestablished themselves. (Jim Peaco / National Park Service)

Case Updates

March 3, 2017 document

Legal Document: D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Ruling Stripping Endangered Species Act Protections from Wyoming Wolves

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a ruling in Defenders of Wildlife, et al. v. Zinke, et al., reversing a district court decision that had restored Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in Wyoming.