44 wolves killed in Wyoming’s first trophy wolf hunt since 2013 https://t.co/TgagEhAiBI via @IdahoStateJ

— NY Wolf Center (@nywolforg) January 27, 2018

In total, 76 wolves were killed in Wyoming in 2017. 43 were legally killed during the licensed hunting season of October through December, with an additional wolf being killed illegally.

The remaining 32 wolves were killed in areas of the state where wolves can be killed without a license because they are considered predators.2,500 licenses were issued during the hunting season.

To put these numbers in perspective, there are only 380 wolves total in Wyoming. The reason for the hunts – and the freedom to kill a wolf on sight in most of the state – is that wolves in the state no longer have federal protection; in 2017, their endangered species protection status was taken away by the court. As a result, conservation groups have filed suit challenging this elimination.

“Wyoming’s anti‐wolf policies take the state backward, to the days when wolf massacres nearly wiped out wolves in the lower 48 states. Our nation rejected such predator extermination efforts when we adopted the Endangered Species Act,” said Earthjustice attorney Tim Preso. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has turned its back on Wyoming wolves, and so today we are asking the court to make sure that wolves on the border of Yellowstone — our nation’s first national park — have the protections they need to thrive.”