Will Colorado’s vote to bring back wolves be a model for conservationists?
Colorado voters narrowly approved a ballot initiative directing wildlife officials to reintroduce gray wolves west of the Rocky Mountains. It was the first time in U.S. history that voters mandated the reintroduction of a threatened species. “The ballot initiative was the final Hail Mary approach to get this done, to break the stranglehold that the livestock industry has had over this for decades,” said Rob Edward, president of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund, the organization behind the initiative. (No paywall)
USDA expands review of cyanide traps against predators
Following reports of dead pets and the possible exposure of a teenager to cyanide, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is expanding its review of the use of spring-loaded traps to poison livestock predators in the West.
Wolves can now be shot like coyotes in Wyoming
Wolves can now by shot on site in 85 percent of Wyoming, after a federal court of appeals in Washington, D.C., ruled last month that the animal no longer warrants endangered species protection in the state, says the Casper Star Tribune.