Is It Legal to Kill Wolves in Michigan
Wolves were removed from the endangered species list in January, but only the Department of Natural Resources is authorized to manage the wolf population that has begun invading U.S. cities. The animals also have a major impact on the Upper Peninsula deer population, killing between 17,000 and 29,000 deer each year, according to a DNR report. “This distraction continues to take care of those who cling to misconceptions about wolves is a disservice to the wider population that values wildlife biodiversity, as well as a shameful disrespect and disregard for the traditional ecological knowledge of our tribal nations.” It remains illegal to kill a wolf in Michigan except to save a human life. “The department plans to proceed with our update of the state`s wolf management plan so that we are prepared in case the authority to manage wolves is returned to the state,” he said. Bonnie Rice, senior representative of the Sierra Club, said the Federal Court`s decision “means wolves have a chance to fully recover and fulfill their important ecological and cultural roles across the country.” Nick Green, a spokesman for the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, argued that gray wolves have exceeded federal and state targets for a minimum wolf population in Michigan for years. Killing wolves for anything other than attacking a human is currently illegal because the species remains protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. Two state laws that allowed dog and ranch owners to kill threatening wolves in Michigan have been suspended following a federal court ruling that put gray wolves back on the endangered species list, Department of Natural Resources officials said Friday. A federal judge in California ordered protections under the U.S. this week.
The Endangered Species Act will be returned to wolves in much of the country and their removal from the list will be reversed in the final days of the Trump administration. The change in the wolves` federal status comes as state wildlife regulators are updating Michigan`s manual for monitoring the species once responsibility is transferred to the states. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White in the Northern District of California overturned a Nov. 3, 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service order that banned gray wolves effective Nov. 4, 2020. January 2021 removed from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife species in the lower 48 states. This initial decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not include wolves from the northern Rocky Mountains or the Mexican wolf subspecies.
However, state Department of Natural Resources spokesman Ed Golder said no proposal to hunt wolves has been presented to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission. “These magnificent animals play an important role in our Great Lakes ecosystems, and they show us that dedication to family is not just for humans,” MNessel said in a statement Friday. “I refused to stand idly by as the federal government attempted to use the success story of Great Lakes wolf recovery to remove the necessary protection of the Endangered Species Act for gray wolves in other states. The court rightly ruled in favour of the recovery of wolves nationwide, and I welcome this development. In February, a California federal judge reinstated federal protection for gray wolves after the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service removed the species from the list in the final months of the Trump administration. The Biden administration appealed the judge`s decision two months later. The Michigan Humane Society opposes the legislation and favors non-lethal ways to resolve human-wolf conflict during an open hunting season for wolves. Recent Yellowstone wolf killings by hunters `a significant setback,` park officials say The DNR said several things should take place before a wolf hunt: updating Michigan`s wolf management plan, consulting with Native American tribes, and permanently clarifying the legal status of wolves in light of a long history of legal challenges to eviction decisions. resulting in frequent changes in the status of wolves. Great Lakes gray wolves are back under federal protection as part of ongoing discussions in Michigan about how to manage them — conversations that promised to reopen the debate about hunting the main predatory species.
“If there is a conflict in June or July, we have to resolve that conflict in June or July. We cannot wait until November to kill wolves. So there`s a gap with a hunting season in November,” Warren said. Meanwhile, officials said two state laws were suspended. The laws allowed wolves to be killed if they hunted livestock, domestic animals or hunting dogs. Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials released their draft wolf management plan this week, updated with the latest science on species protected by the state. The guidelines spelled out how state authorities would decide whether hunters would ever have a shot to catch one of North America`s top dog predators in the Upper Peninsula — that is, if wolves were removed from the list again. MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) — A federal court order in California on Thursday returns gray wolves, including those in Michigan, to the federal endangered list. The decision means that two state laws regulating the ability to kill wolves that hunt livestock, domestic animals and hunting dogs were immediately suspended.