CODY, WYOMING - The count is now up to fourteen. Fourteen wolves have been killed in Wyoming since the wolves were deslisted at the end of March. In spite of protests and threats of a tourism boycott, state officials say they're not worried.

Wolves in Wyoming, outside the park, are under state management now. In less than a month under state management, more than a dozen killed. Wyoming Game and Fish's Cody region supervisor Gary Brown explained, “Some of those were hunter kills, some of those were landowners killing wolves in livestock, and some of those were wildlife services taking wolves.”

Cody area Game and Fish supervisor Gary Brown says all of the kills were in the predator zone south of the National Parks, hours away from Park County. “The line of demarcation in Park County is Highway 120. On the East side of the highway, wolves are considered predators, where they can be shot on sight, or trapped. On the west side of the highway, they’re protected and can only be taken in a licensed hunt, or with a permit.” Brown says Wyoming’s wolf population is still way above the minimum number required. He said, “Over the past years, because of depredation we have taken a considerable number of wolves where they are predators now, probably double of what we’re at right now.”

The Director of Wyoming's Travel and Tourism Diane Shober said, “We are receiving some calls in our office about people expressing their concern over the wolf issue.” But in spite of boycott threats over the wolf kills, she explained, “When I look at overall inquiries to our office for tourism planning, our inquiries last week alone were up 109% over this same week in 2007.”

A former federal biologist retired in Cody says, “This is not a wolf management plan. This is a wolf elimination plan.” While Chuck Neal of Cody thinks Wyoming’s plan can support a viable wolf population, “I don’t know of a single case where an endangered species was removed from the list, taken off ESA, and then promptly declared a predator in 90% of the state he’s in to be killed on sight. I think that alone will be enough to kill Wyoming’s plan in court.”

Wyoming's Game and Fish Department issued wolf kill permits to two ranches inside the trophy game area near Cody. No wolves have been reported killed there yet.