For the First Time in 7 Decades, a Wolf at Grand Canyon
No. 746, Oct. 30, 2014
Incredible news today: For the first time in 70 years a wolf has been spotted at the Grand Canyon. The wolf, wearing an inactive radio collar, looks identical to gray wolves in Yellowstone and other areas of the northern Rockies.
The wolf arrives just as the Obama administration gears up to strip Endangered Species Act protection from most wolves in the lower 48 states. If that happens as expected later this year, the Grand Canyon wolf (protected for now) will be far more likely to be shot on sight.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that a wolf has managed to travel so far to claim the Grand Canyon once again as a home for wolves,” said the Center for Biological Diversity’s Michael Robinson. “This wolf’s journey starkly highlights the fact that wolf recovery is still in its infancy and that these important and magnificent animals continue to need Endangered Species Act protections.”
Image by Tom Mangelsen