BOISE, Idaho — Despite a recent federal court ruling that could reopen Endangered Species Act protections for wolves, Idaho still controls its wolf management — for now.

"Idaho has managed a wolf population above federal recovery goals for decades and sustained more-than-adequate wolf populations since Congress removed them from Endangered Species Act protection in 2011," said Jim Fredericks, director of Idaho Fish and Game.

Idaho's most recent wolf population estimate is 1,235 wolves as of spring 2024 — well above the federal recovery goal of 150 and more than twice the number reported in 2009, according to a press release Thursday.

But that authority could be in jeopardy. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revisit it

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