Two wolves walking next to eachother

New Idaho law allows killing up to 90 percent of state’s wolves

The move could partially undo decades of efforts—which have cost taxpayers tens of millions—to recover wolves in the region.

In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to Idaho and Yellowstone National Park, home to the canyon wolf pack, seen here. Since then many have pushed to expand wolf hunting in the region, and now, in May 2021, Idaho's governor signed a law that erases most limits on wolf killing in the state.
Photograph by Ronan Donovan, National Geographic

Idaho lawmakers have passed a bill aimed at killing the majority of the state’s wolves, which gets rid of most limits on hunting the predators. It represents the most sweeping expansion of wolf hunting in the state, and has drawn outrage from scientists, conservationists, and even pro-hunting groups.

The act, SB1211, was signed into law on May 5 by Republican Governor Brad Little and will go into effect within months. It will allow hunters and private contractors to kill 90 percent or more of the state’s wolves, which number around 1,500 at last count. The decision comes just months after the species was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species Act, though wolves in the Northern Rockies have been delisted since 2011.

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