The Race to Save Wolves in Idaho, Wyoming

In a cruel parting shot before leaving office, the Bush Administration has stripped wolves in Idaho and Montana of their Endangered Species protection -- leaving them at the mercy of two states that are gunning for them.
Hundreds of wolves are effectively on death row. As soon as the hunting seasons begin and "Open Fire" orders are issued, state officials and hunters will fan out through Greater Yellowstone and Central Idaho in search of an animal that should be on the Endangered Species list.
As you know, this is the second time that the Bush Administration has removed federal protections from wolves in the Northern Rockies. Last spring, more than 110 wolves were brutally killed in as many days. The wolf-killing rampage only stopped after NRDC and 11 other conservation groups prevailed in federal court.
We must win again -- because the plight of wolves has never been more dire. Yellowstone's wolf population has already declined, as wolf pups die of a yet-to-be-determined disease. The bottom line is: Greater Yellowstone's wolves urgently need and deserve federal protection.