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.