For the first time in more than 30 years, the northern Rockies are set today to echo with the sound of guns being fired at one of the symbols of the American wilderness: the grey wolf.
Hunters armed with tags permitting them to "harvest" the animals were preparing to set out in the mountainous western and northern regions of Idaho. To the dismay of environmentalists, the Obama administration lifted protection for wolves under the Endangered Species Act in March.
Environmental groups went to court yesterday to try and block the renewed hunting, but a judge sitting in Montana has reserved judgement and until he rules, the shooting will be allowed to go ahead.
The fate of the wolf is taken by conservationists as a litmus test of America's ability to safeguard its natural heritage. In the early 20th century, the animals, placed on a literary pedestal in such works as Jack London's White Fang, were virtually exterminated. Since 1995 they have been reintroduced to Idaho and the Yellowstone national park and federal officials argue that their current numbers, about 1,650, would support restricted hunting.
By the end of the year, hunters will be allowed to kill up to 220 wolves in Idaho and 75 in Montana, assuming the courts do not intervene.
Under the terms of the tagging system, wolves of either sex may be shot, though kills must be reported to the authorities within 24 hours and the skull and hide presented to federal officials within four days after that. Baiting of the animals is not allowed.
Earthjustice, an environmental group that is leading the legal case for continuing to protect the wolves, argues that renewed hunting could disrupt the flow of wolf populations between Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The group's Doug Honnold told the Idaho Statesman newspaper: "It's the endangered species that need to be protected, not the states' rights to kill wolves."