Judge in Mont. rejects bid to delay wolf lawsuit
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge in Montana has rejected the government's request to delay a lawsuit seeking to place the gray wolf back on the endangered species list.
The judge said Thursday he's unwilling to risk more wolf deaths.
At least 39 of the Northern Rockies' 1,500 gray wolves have been killed since they lost federal protection in March. Wolves are now under the authority of state wildlife agencies in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.
The states have relaxed rules for killing wolves that harass or harm livestock and plan the first public hunts in decades this year.
Environmentalists say the loss of federal protection threatens the wolf's recovery. State officials pledge to keep wolves on the landscape but say hunts are needed to reduce livestock conflicts.
