A Washington state judge has rejected efforts to temporarily block the killing of wolves that are preying on livestock in Ferry County.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Carol Murphy on Frdiay turned down a request from a conservation group for a temporary restraining order to block the killing.
The Center for Biological Diversity contended that killing wolves ignores science, causes long-term environmental harm, and goes against the wishes of the great majority of state residents.
It was not immediately clear when the wolf hunts would begin.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife last Wednesday approved killing one or more members of a new wolf pack that had attacked cattle near the Canadian border in northeast Washington. Wolves had killed a calf and injured five others on federal grazing land in Ferry County since September 4th.
The new wolf pack has been dubbed the Old Profanity Territory Pack because the attacks occurred in an area once occupied by the Profanity Peak pack, which was killed by the state in 2016 for preying on cattle.
The latest annual survey in Washington revealed at least 122 wolves in 22 packs in the state.
The agency contends that killing off some or all of the new pack will not harm recovery efforts. Wolves are protected as an endangered species throughout the state. But a protocol developed by the agency and others to reduce conflicts between wolves and livestock allows the state to kill wolves if officials confirm a certain number of livestock attacks within a certain time period.
The state has killed a total of 19 wolves in recent years, including a member of the Togo pack earlier this month. (AP)
