Wisconsin and Michigan have a total of about 200 wolves, and about 200 wolves have been established in the western United States. In the majority of the United States, wolves are on the Endangered Species List, in the hope that such measures will prevent the wolves from becoming extinct. There are numerous reasons for woves to have become engangered. For a long time, most people feared wolves becuase they thought wolves were dangerous to humans. Becuase of this fear people began to kill wolves, and many were paid a bounty for bringing in dead wolves.
Poisoning is probably the main reason so few wolves remain today.
Another reason has to do with the growing human population. For a pack to be successful, it requires a large amount of land for its habitat, preferably away from human populations. As our populations continue to grow, the amount of available wilderness for such creatures as the wolf have gotten smaller. Habitat destruction is one of the most important problems facing wolves today. Protecting the wilderness not only helps to protect the wolf, but other creatures like him.