The Bozeman-based Predator Project has asked the
federal Animal Damage Control agency to stop trapping coyotes after
a gray wolf was found dead in a trap on a Montana ranch. The wolf,
which had wandered from a pack in Glacier National Park, died from
overheating in late August. Wolves in Montana are protected under
the Endangered Species Act. But the ADC, which helps ranchers
control predators, is permitted one “incidental taking” of a wolf
per year in Montana. Predator Project’s Tom Skeele says ADC
exceeded the limit because it trapped another wolf several weeks
earlier, although that wolf was later released. He says the act’s
definition of “taking” includes trapping and harassing. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, which investigates all wolf kills,
should re-evaluate the effects of ADC’s activities before trapping
continues, Skeele says. But Fish and Wildlife officials disagree
and claim the released wolf should not be counted.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline When are trapped wolves “taken’?.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
