DENVER, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. and state officials are trying to determine what a healthy number of gray wolves is for the species in the northern Rockies.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar discussed the issue Monday at a meeting in Denver with the governors of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, The Denver Post reported. The meeting was closed to the public and news media, but those who attended said there was general agreement the gray wolf can be taken off the endangered species list, returning control of populations to the states.
"The successful recovery of the gray wolf is a stunning example of how the Endangered Species Act can work to keep imperiled animals from sliding into extinction," Salazar said in a statement.
Salazar said the three governors agree there must be a "responsible approach guided by science" to allowing hunting of wolves.
The number of wolves in the northern Rockies fell to fewer than 50 in the 20th century. The species was re-established by importing wolves from Canada, and there are now about 2,000, mostly in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
The original goal was to bring the number in the region back up to at least 300. Tom Strickland, assistant secretary of the interior for fish, game and wildlife, said the next step is to determine what number of wolves between 300 and 2,000 is sustainable.
