Lawsuit aims to ban wolf trapping in Idaho to protect grizzly bears
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, January 4th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BOISE – A federal judge in Idaho is set to hear arguments about whether to ban the trapping of wolves to protect grizzly bears.
In 2021, thirteen conservation groups sued the state of Idaho, challenging its wolf-trapping rules. They argued that these rules facilitate the slaughter of Idaho’s gray wolves and also pose a risk of injuring or killing grizzly bears.
The lawsuit says continued and expanded wolf trapping and snaring will injure and kill federally protected grizzly bears, and the loss of even a few of these could significantly hamper their recovery in Idaho and violate the Endangered Species Act.
Idaho allows year-round trapping of wolves in private property, as well as special hunting seasons for wolves.
Idaho Fish & Game estimates there are about 80-100 grizzlies in the state and more than 1,300 wolves. The federal court will hear the lawsuit on Thursday, January 4 at the federal courthouse in Boise.
