The U.S. government took gray wolves living near the Great Lakes off its list of endangered species on Monday and also proposed removing protections for similar wolves near the Rocky Mountains.
The Interior Department last March determined about 4,000 gray wolves lived in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, up from between 700 and 1,000 when the animal was classified as endangered more than 30 years ago. The federal government proposed ending federal protections for the animals under the Endangered Species Act and turning responsibility over to state and tribal governments.
The wolves, who also live in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, have now officially been scratched off the list that identifies animals and plants at risk of extinction.
The agency also is considering removing from the list gray wolves that live in the region north of the Rocky Mountains in Montana, Idaho and parts of Washington and Oregon.
The government considers the northwestern section of Wyoming a part of this region but Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall said the state did not have enough protections in place for wolves there to be delisted.
Currently, Wyoming is considering using aerial hunting permits to kill wolves in an attempt to keep the animals from hurting private livestock.
