Record number of Yellowstone wolves shot after roaming outside park

But Gianforte, who himself trapped and killed a Yellowstone wolf last year, violating state hunting regulations, has not been receptive to the request, according to a letter in response to Sholly obtained by the Associated Press.

Urged by Republican lawmakers, Montana wildlife officials last year loosened hunting and trapping rules for wolves statewide. They also eliminated longstanding wolf quota limits in areas bordering the park. The quotas, which Sholly asked Gianforte to reinstate, allowed only a few wolves to be killed along the border annually.

The original quotas were meant to protect packs that draw tourists to Yellowstone from around the world for the chance to see a wolf in the wild.

Under new rules, Montana hunters can use bait such as meat to lure wolves for killing and trappers can now use snares in addition to leghold traps.

Marc Cooke, with the advocacy group Wolves of the Rockies, predicted a backlash against Gianforte and the state for not doing more to shield wolves leaving Yellowstone.

In September, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said it would examine whether federal endangered species protections should be restored for more than 2,000 wolves in northern US Rockies states including Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

A representative of the Montana hunting industry said outfitters and guides supported the preservation of wolves inside Yellowstone. But once the animals crossed the boundary, sustainable hunting and trapping should be allowed, said Mac Minard, executive director of the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association.

The wolf Gianforte killed last February was six to seven years old and had been born in Yellowstone national park. It was fitted with a radio collar to track its movements in 2018, Warthin said.

Trappers have the option to release radio-collared animals so they can continue to be used for research. A certification course for wolf hunters that Gianforte neglected to take, violating state hunting regulations, includes instruction on the importance of radio-collared wolves to monitor the population and manage wolf pack attacks on livestock.

Gianforte trapped and shot the male wolf on 15 February about 10 miles (16km) north of the park, on a ranch owned by Robert E Smith, director for the conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group and a Gianforte campaign donor, according to the Mountain West News Bureau, which first reported the violation.