Wolves
Loss of habitat and extermination programs led to the demise of wolves throughout most of the United States by early in the 20th century. In 1973, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the northern Rocky Mountain wolf (Canis lupus) as an endangered species and designated Greater Yellowstone as one of three recovery areas. From 1995 to 1997, 41 wild wolves from Canada and northwest Montana were released in Yellowstone National Park. As expected, wolves from the growing population dispersed to establish territories outside the park. More than 1,600 wolves now reside in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. In August 2010, a U.S. district judge ruled against a USFWS 2009 decision to remove the wolf from the endangered species list in only part of the recovery area (only Montana and Idaho had USFWS-approved wolf management plans), so wolves are protected as an endangered species in all three states again.
Report A Sighting of this species.
Updated 8/6/10
