Leaders of the Pack:

Not everyone was happy when wolves returned to Yellowstone (the deer, for one), but the place is better with them there.

by Rocky Kistner

Wyoming wolves had reason to howl in victory last month when a federal court gave them back their protected status under the Endangered Species Act. A judge ruled that the state’s management of the species—which included a shoot-on-sight policy and a trophy-hunting range—was inadequate for sustaining a viable wolf population. (Disclosure: NRDC, OnEarth’s publisher, was a plaintiff in the case.)

Since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list in Wyoming in 2012, hunters have killed more than 200 of the animals in the state. For those who think that’s okay, this video is for you…

(read more: On Earth)

photograph by Shawn Kinkade