The conservation groups maintain that the present legal struggle symbolizes a larger battle over the government's commitment to protect and restore large carnivores. The American Farm Bureau argued in the initial suit that the wolf introduction program failed to address the concerns of farmers and ranchers, and represented overzealous regulation by the government. The wolves are doing great. They're staying away from livestock except in a few cases where Defenders compensates for any losses. The ecosystem is returning to a more healthy, natural state.
Tourism is up and the wolves are adding to the region's economy.
Sixty-two wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 and 1996 as part of an experimental reintroduction program. If the lower court ruling stands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be charged with physically removing all reintroduced wolves and their offspring from Yellowstone. The problem is that this would not only undermine years of conservation efforts, but it will be difficult to find a new home for the wolves. Canada will not take the wolves back, there is little room in zoos, and there is no appropriate wild space in the United States that could handle a population of wolves such as the one in Yellowstone.