Judge says state must provide 1 day notice to kill wolves

SPOKANE, Wash. — A Thurston County judge says the state of Washington must provide one business day of notice before killing any wolves.

That's to give the public time to go to court to try and block the killings.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Lanese on Friday also dismissed a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups that challenged the state's decision to wipe out the Sherman pack of wolves last year.

The judge ruled that the lawsuit was moot because the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife had already killed off the pack.

Wolves were hunted to extinction in Washington early in the last century. But this century they began moving back into Washington from neighboring areas. That has caused conflict with some ranchers after wolves killed livestock.

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Associated Press