BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- The Bush administration says it is removing gray wolves in the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains from the federal endangered species list.
But Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett said Wednesday wolves in Wyoming will remain under federal jurisdiction because that state has not done enough to assure their survival.
The government has tried previously to remove wolves in both regions from the endangered list and return management authority to the states.
But the efforts have been overruled by courts.
Last September, a federal judge sided with animal-rights groups that accused the government of misapplying the law when it lifted protections for about 4,000 wolves in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2007.
