A Third of Wisconsin's Wild Wolves Killed in 60 Hours After Being Removed From Endangered List

Researchers stated Monday that after the animals were delisted under the Endangered Species Act and the state permitted a public hunt, up to a third of Wisconsin's gray wolves may have been killed earlier this year.

In new research, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison calculated that between April 2020 and April 2021, 313 to 323 wolves were likely murdered by people. According to Adrian Treves, a professor at UW-Madison and one of the study's primary authors, the numbers should raise worries about future hunting seasons in Wisconsin.

"Although the [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources] strives for population stability, we estimate the population has decreased significantly," Treves said in a statement.

Calling off Lawful Hunts

Wolf conservation objectives are largely left up to states to handle now that they have been removed from the Endangered Species Act earlier this year. First, however, they must submit five-year monitoring plans to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. According to the EPA, around 6,000 wolves in the lower 48 states, with the majority of them found in Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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