Michigan's controversial wolf hunting season began on Friday, and four wolves have already died since its start, according to a wildlife official who spoke with the Associated Press.
Three wolves were killed on Friday, then another the next day in two areas that the Michigan Department of Natural has agreed to allow the culling of 43 gray wolves.
"Our hunt is specifically designed around chronic conflict between wolves and humans were other methods of resolution were not successful," DNR spokesperson Ed Golder reported. "We have had 101 cases of fearless behavior, 65 percent of those were able to confirm through site visits. We are trying to be proactive in our approach."
When the gray wolf was classified as an endangered species 40 years ago, the state approved controlled killings in three locations in the Upper Peninsula. 1,200 hunters licenses were granted to hopefuls who looked to shoot wolves using guns, crossbows, or bow and arrows.
The DNR allows the permitted hunters to shoot on public and private property until either Dec. 31, or when the goal number is reached, AP reported.
"The hunt may also change behavior of wolves in the hunt units-making them more wary of people, residential areas and farms - and reduce the abundance of wolves in these management areas that have experienced chronic problems," the DNR wrote in a statement.
Gray wolves were nearly extinct in the 1950s, but have since experienced a resurgence in numbers, which caused the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to take wolves off of the Endangered Species Act last January. There are currently about 2,211 wolves living in Minnesota, along with an estimated 1,467 dwelling in the Wisconsin area and Upper Peninsula in Michigan.
"We made the right choice to...bring these animals back from the brink of extinction," Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt announced when he stated the wolves were making an enormous comeback.
But not everyone agrees with the hunting season - organizations like the Keep Michigan Wolves Protected group has tried to bolster up fronts against the DNR and its wolf culling. KMWP earlier gained 255,000 signatures in Michigan to get a spot on the state ballot.
Five other states have authorized wolf hunting since they were taken off of the endangered list.
