US grey wolf protections to be lifted

WASHINGTON: The Trump Administration said yesterday it would lift Endangered Species Act protections for the grey wolf, arguing the species had been brought back from the brink of extinction.

The move gives states in the continuous United States the authority to manage their wolf populations, including by allowing them to be hunted. It will mainly affect wolf populations in the upper Midwest, Colorado and Pacific Northwest, because wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains were previously delisted. Wolves have never been federally protected in Alaska.

There are about 6000 grey wolves in the lower 48 United States, up from about 1000 when they were added to the endangered species list after being hunted, trapped and poisoned to near extinction.

Conservation groups said the species had yet to recover in much of its former range and the timing of the move appeared to be an effort to win votes in the Midwest for President Donald Trump. — Reuters

PHOTO: US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE A grey wolf. ‘Coming out bravely’ . . . Chen YingHsuan and her wife Li ChenChen take a photo in front of a AN/TWQ1 Avenger mobile air defence system at a military mass wedding in Taoyuan yesterday.