Two wildlife advocacy groups have formally notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of their intent to sue over recent changes made to Montana’s wolf trapping laws.
Montana is one of two states that allow trappers to export wolf pelts, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved in 2014.
But KC York with Trap Free Montana, one of the groups gearing up to sue, said that approval doesn’t account for the 2021 changes that loosened trapping restrictions.
“And those regulations have been changed significantly. And yet they still have the wolf export permit,” York said.
The 2021 wolf trapping changes include allowing the use of snares, establishing a longer trapping season and removing some requirements for how far traps must be set back from public roads, which they said could threaten federally-protected Canada lynx.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Trap Free Montana said the 2021 changes to wolf trapping laws violate the terms of the federal approval and could lead to incidental trapping of lynx.
They are asking that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service review these changes and determine whether or not Montana should be granted the wolf pelt export permit.
The groups submitted their notification earlier this week and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 60 days to respond.
