Montana pauses wolf hunting in certain areas as officials fear threat to species

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The wolves in Yellowstone have had a tough season.

Recent reports revealed that a large number of wolves once living in Yellowstone National Park had been killed by hunters. While it’s believed that the wolves left the park grounds and were harvested legally, officials were still concerned about the high number of deaths.

Wolf hunting near in areas near Yellowstone National Park will be paused once 82 wolves have been harvested.
(iStock)

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission recently voted on how to handle the situation. According to a report by the Billings Gazette, the commission voted on Friday to pause wolf hunting and trapping in southwest Montana once 82 wolves have been hunted.

As of Friday, 76 wolves had been hunted in the area.

This current season, 20 wolves from Yellowstone National Park have been shot by hunters.
(iStock)

While wolf hunting is prohibited in Yellowstone, it is believed that wolves will sometimes wander from the park and then fall prey to hunters. The 20 wolves that were killed from Yellowstone were hunted in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

Last year, Montana eliminated wolf hunting quotas in some areas and also loosened hunting and trapping rules.

It is believed that all the members of Phantom Lake Pack have been killed since October, meaning that the pack is now considered eliminated.
(iStock)

Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would be researching whether federal endangered species protections should be restored for wolves living near the Rockies. Wolf hunting regulations have recently been changed in several states due to wolf populations preying on big game herds and livestock.

So far, 184 wolves have been harvested statewide in Montana this season, The Billings Gazette reports. This would put it on par with recent years.

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