OPT WOLF PACK TO BE TARGETED; FERRY COUNTY RANCHER SHOOTS WOLF

July 31st: On Wednesday, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced plans to kill another member of the Old Profanity Territory pack after repeated attacks on cattle. The cattle most recently attacked by the OPT pack are owned by the same producer as the earlier attacks. The cattle are grazing on Colville National Forest land.

U.S. RESTORES YELLOWSTONE GRIZZLIES TO PROTECTED SPECIES LIST

July 30th: Reinstatement of Yellowstone-area grizzlies to the U.S. threatened species list capped years of legal wrangling over one of the most iconic animals roaming a region of the Northern Rockies that encompasses parts of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

STUDY: SHOOTING WOLVES UNPOPULAR, EXCEPT IN WOLF COUNTRY

July 30th, Washington: Researchers at Colorado State and Ohio State University led a 50-state study, titled “America’s Wildlife Values.” Compared to a 2004 survey, the study found a decline in the Western U.S. of “traditionalists,” who believe wildlife should be managed to benefit humans. They are now outnumbered by “mutualists,” who believe people should adapt to wildlife.

WOLVES KILL TWO CALVES, WOUND THREE WITH TOOTH SCRAPES IN CALIFORNIA, OFFICIALS SAY

July 30th, California: Two yearling cattle were killed by wolves on private land in western Lassen County, and three other cattle were found with tooth scrapes and other injuries, according to investigative reports from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

ARLINGTON ANIMAL CONTROL GETTING '10-15' COYOTE CALLS DAILY

July 10th, Maryland: Arlington Animal Control Officer Diane Welch is planning a public meeting for residents to learn more about coyotes. Welch has asked a representative from Project Coyote to deliver a presentation Wednesday, July 31 at 7 p.m. A location is still in the process of being secured.

INSLEE BREAKS WITH STATE OFFICIALS, OPPOSES REMOVING PROTECTIONS FOR GRAY WOLF

July 10th, Washington: “Governor Inslee does not support a nationwide proposal that delists gray wolves from the federal endangered species list in all of the lower 48 states because there are many areas where wolves have not yet been recovered,” Inslee spokeswoman Jessie Payne said in an email. This is while the Fish & Wildlife Director, announced Wednesday that the state will kill two federally protected wolves because they hunted cattle grazing on public land.

WASHINGTON WILDLIFE AGENCY ISSUES ANOTHER KILL ORDER FOR ENDANGERED WOLVES

July 10th: “More wolves will die because our state officials reach for lethal means with lightning speed, just to appease the ranching industry,” said Sophia Ressler, Washington wildlife advocate and staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “When ranchers graze their cattle on public lands in prime wolf habitat, conflicts are inevitable. Our wildlife pays the ultimate price for the state’s unwillingness to find more peaceful and wolf-friendly solutions.”

WOLF SIGHTING IN NORTHERN COLORADO COULD BE THE FIRST CONFIRMED IN STATE IN FOUR YEARS

July 9th: Colorado Parks and Wildlife released images Monday evening of the black animal wearing what appeared to be a radio collar around its neck. The photos were shot by a member of the public near the Colorado State Forest State Park, about 90 miles northwest of Fort Collins. CPW biologists are working to confirm the sighting, as well as another recent sighting in Grand County, which is just south of Jackson County.

THE DAKOTA ZOO GOT THREE NEW WOLF PUPS

July 7th, North Dakota: The three-month-old wolves come from South Dakota and Minnesota. They will also join the adult gray wolf in the exhibit.

GRAY WOLF DELISTING - AGAIN

July 5th, Minnesota: I have seen this rodeo many times before,” said Rep. Dale Lueck, R-Aitkin. “Public hearings are a standard part of the delisting process before removing federal ESA protection. This is the fourth time since 2007 that USFWS has worked through the wolf delisting process. The three previous efforts resulted in delisting Minnesota’s wolves, but eventually all three decisions were overturned by Washington, D.C. federal judges.”

CLEAR PATH AHEAD FOR HIGHWAY 17 ANIMAL CORRIDOR, WITH $5 MILLION CAMPAIGN COMPLETE

July 2nd, California: Land Trust Santa Cruz County announced completion of a $5 million fundraising campaign Tuesday, $3 million of which was raised in support of the plan to tunnel beneath Highway 17’s most dangerous stretch of roadway for mountain lions and other critters.

COYOTE RESEARCH FINDS NEW PERSPECTIVE

July 2nd, Georgia: Berry College Associate Professor of Biology and founder of the "Coyote Project", Christopher Mowry, has conducted numerous studies observing the behaviors of coyotes. He deduced that coyotes now serve as keystone predators in the Southeast, preserving the food chain and keeping other local species in balance. “In other words, coyotes have a very broad diet and they keep other species in check, so that no single species outcompetes the other,” Mowry wrote. “In addition, much of the coyote diet is plant-based and prey only make up a portion of their diet.”

WOLVES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK. HERE'S WHERE TO SEE THEM.

July 2nd, Yellowstone: “The wolf is the poster child of wilderness,” says Doug Smith, a wildlife biologist, who leads the Wolf Restoration project in Yellowstone National Park, “When you see one in the wild, it awakens the senses and everything feels right.” Here are a few of his favorite places to spot them in the United States.