Gray wolf. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair.

In an amazing court victory for wild wolves and advocates who tirelessly speak on their behalf, the federal district court in Missoula, Montana ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act when it determined that gray wolves in the western United States do not warrant federal protections.

Western Watersheds Project, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, WildEarth Guardians, International Wildlife Coexistence Network, Predator Defense, Protect the Wolves, Trap Free Montana,Wilderness Watch, Friends of the Clearwater, and Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment filed a lawsuit in January challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s denial of their petitions to list a western U.S. distinct population segment (DPS) of gray wolves under the ESA, or alternatively, to re-list the Northern Rocky Mountain DPS,........

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