After wolves rebound across US West, future up to voters

By MATTHEW BROWN, JAMES ANDERSON and CHRISTINA LARSON Associated Press
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Wolves have repopulated the mountains and forests of the American West with remarkable speed since their reintroduction 25 years ago, expanding to more than 300 packs in six states. Now voters in Colorado are poised to give the predators another boost in their rebound from extinction in the region last century, through an initiative that would reintroduce them on the state's Western Slope. Cattle ranchers and hunting guides see the return of wolves as a threat to their industries. Similar frictions boiled up when wolves were brought back to Yellowstone and Idaho, and have since eased after the animals were taken off the endangered species list in some states and public hunting was allowed.

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