The relisting of the gray wolf as an endangered species in the western Great Lakes region has renewed debate over its recovery and how to manage wolves.
Fifty-five years ago, gray wolves were nonexistent in Wisconsin. Since then, their numbers have grown to just under 700. Dave MacFarland, a large carnivore specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said the back and forth with the wolf’s protected status changes how agencies manage them.
“Now that we have implemented a hunting and trapping season in the state that was designed to reduce the population and was effective in doing so, that’s a pretty significant change in the management of the species,” said MacFarland.
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