Conservation Groups Ask Washington State To Kill Less Wolves

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – Conservation groups are asking the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to sharply limit the number of endangered wolves that are killed over conflicts with livestock.

Officials working for the state have killed 31 wolves in Washington since 2012, under a system that environmental groups contend favors ranchers over the animals.

Sophia Ressler, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, called it a broken system.

Officials for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The conservation groups want the wildlife commission to amend its rules to require that livestock producers use appropriate non-lethal deterrence methods to prevent conflict between livestock and wolves.