BILLINGS, Mont. — A group of Democratic lawmakers is urging the Biden administration to enact emergency protections for gray wolves in the U.S. West.
Twenty-one U.S. senators asked Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Thursday to shield wolves from being killed for 240 days while permanent protections are considered. The request comes in response to Republican-backed state laws in Montana and Idaho that make it easier to kill the predators.
Wolves in recent decades bounced back from widespread extermination last century. With hunts in the region ongoing, a federal wildlife agency spokesperson told the Associated Press that emergency wolf protections remain on the table.
