State’s wolf population to be reduced

Wyoming aims to reduce the number of wolves in the state to near the minimum that the federal government will allow once the animal is removed from special protection status, a state wildlife official said.

Wyoming and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have agreed that the state would not let its wolf population drop below 100. With more than 300 wolves estimated to live within the state, that could mean killing dozens.

Managing for the minimum number is part of a “really archaic” view of wolves, a Sierra Club spokesman said.

Once protection is lifted, each of the states in the Rocky Mountain recovery area -- Wyoming, Idaho and Montana -- will manage its own wolves.