Judge Donald Molloy has ruled on an emergency injunction suit that he will not stop the wolf hunts going on right now in Idaho and scheduled to begin next week in Montana. He said the current hunts will not, “cause long-term harm to the population.” He did however state that he believes taking Wyoming out of the delisting process was done for political reasons and as such may be a violation of the Endangered Species Act, an argument used by environmentalists to get the wolf returned to protection of the ESA.

This clearly gives Molloy an out when it comes time to hear the full case against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This may be a tell tale sign that ultimately he will rule in favor of the environmentalists and return the wolf to federal protection.

Tom Remington