For years, animal advocacy groups in the Great Lakes Region have fought to ensure the place of gray wolves on the US endangered species list.
It looks like the fight will continue, though, as a recent letter signed by 26 wildlife scientists has requested that U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, make the decision to remove the animals from the list.
The group of scientists state that while the wolf population nearly disappeared during the last century, it has since stabilized, reaching a combined population of 3,700 across the great Lakes region.
The letter employees the government to remove wolves from the list in order to protect the accuracy and integrity of the Endangered Species act, which could be discredited if not maintained properly.
In their letter, the specialists say the integrity of the Endangered Species Act is undercut if species aren’t removed when they’ve scientifically recovered.