Animal rights activists oppose the organized hunting of wolves as inhumane. (Creative Commons/ Tambako the Jaguar)

The hunt is a milestone for Midwest wolf populations. The animal was nearly hunted to death by 1960 and has been under some form of government protection since 1957. Efforts to restore wolf populations have been so successful that the species was dropped from the federal endangered-species list in January. 

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But the resurgence of this once-threatened animal has upset the balance in rural communities. From the Christian Science Monitor:

This return of wolves to Wisconsin has brought them increasingly into conflict with farmers and hunters of other game. As packs have spread south into more populated agricultural areas, they have preyed on livestock and even on family pets. Hunters also blame wolves for reducing the size of the deer herd. 

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Wisonsin has limited the number of wolves which can be killed to 201. But that restriction doesn't do enough to satisfy wildlife enthusiasts. Animal rights groups like the Humane Society of the United States and the Fund for Animals sent notice to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that they would sue if the Great Lakes wolves were not placed back on the endangered species list, according to Businessweek. 

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Minnesota also plans to allow for the hunting of wolves this fall.

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