Advocates Sue U.S. Government , to Make Decision , on Wolf Protections.<br />On August 9, wildlife advocates sued federal officials for<br />missing a deadline to decide if protections for grey <br />wolves should be restored in the Rocky Mountains.<br />The Associated Press reports <br />that many Republican-led states have <br />made it easier to hunt and kill the predators.<br />The increase in hunting <br />poses a potential threat <br />to wolves across the region.<br />Last September, the Biden administration said that protections for wolves may need to be restored <br />due to increased hunting in Idaho and Montana.<br />Last September, the Biden administration said that protections for wolves may need to be restored <br />due to increased hunting in Idaho and Montana.<br />After missing the deadline, advocates urged <br />a Montana judge to force federal officials <br />to make a final decision on the matter.<br />By the 1930s, wolves had been nearly exterminated <br />across most of the U.S. under government-sponsored <br />poisoning and trapping campaigns.<br />In the 1990s, grey wolves <br />were reintroduced from Canada <br />into the northern U.S. Rockies. .<br />Since being reintroduced, growing populations in <br />wilderness areas across Idaho, Montana and Wyoming <br />have expanded to Oregon, Washington and California.<br />In 2021, Republican governors in Idaho and Montana <br />signed laws that loosened laws restricting <br />when, where and how wolves can be killed. .<br />Advocates fear increased hunting <br />has the potential to reduce wolf <br />populations to below sustainable levels
