Hunting groups push to enter wolf lawsuits

The National Rifle Association and Safari Club International are blaming wolves for bringing down the quality of big-game hunting in northwestern Wyoming. The hunting groups are pushing to intervene in lawsuits pending in federal courts in Washington D.C. and Wyoming. The groups want to oppose environmental groups' push to reinstate federal protections for wolves in Wyoming. Scores of wolves have been killed in Wyoming since the federal protections ended last October. Wyoming allows trophy hunting for them in a zone around Yellowstone National Park and classifies wolves as unprotected predators in the rest of the state. While environmental groups say Wyoming's management plan doesn't give wolves adequate protection, hunting groups say that wolf predation on elk and moose is reducing hunting opportunities.