Wolves back in Washington

Officials are reporting the presence of a wolf in Washington. This from the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

SPOKANE, Wash. — A calf in northeastern Washington was killed by a wolf, proving the endangered species is once again within the borders of Washington after being killed off decades ago, wildlife officials said Friday.

Selway-Bitterroot Grizzly Shot

A guided hunter from Tennessee accidently shot a Grizzly in Central Idaho while baiting for black bear. Idaho Statesman:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game are investigating the killing of a large grizzly bear in north-central Idaho, where the last confirmed sighting of the species was in 1946, officials said Friday.

The bear was shot in the Selway-Bitterroot ecosystem, if you’ll remember, then Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne ~ now Secretary of the Interior ~ was succesful in a standoff against Interior’s attempts to reintroduce Grizzlies into this area. Kempthorne in 2001:

The state of Idaho has made it very clear from the outset that it opposes reintroduction of grizzlies to Central Idaho, and the Interior Department is correct in focusing its recovery efforts on other bear populations in the lower 48 states.

The Yellowstone population has been delisted, which is being challenged in court, but Grizzly bear outside of the area remain protected.

Rocky Barker’s Take on his Idaho Statesman blog.