Gray wolves were reintroduced to central Idaho in 1995. The project was part of a wider Northern Rocky Mountains recovery effort that also returned wolves to Yellowstone National Park.
Beginning in January 1995, Canadian wolves were transported to recovery areas in Idaho and Yellowstone. Idaho’s wolves received an immediate release, while Yellowstone’s wolves first spent time in acclimation pens. The animals were classified as an “experimental, nonessential” population under the Endangered Species Act, allowing officials to manage conflicts with livestock.
The reintroduction followed decades of persecution, including trapping, poisoning, and government-sponsored predator control. Removing wolves had disrupted the region’s predator-prey balance, especially by allowing elk numbers to grow and intensify grazing pressure. The return of wolves helped establish a breeding population and eventually supported natural expansion into neighboring states.
A common mix-up is confusing Idaho’s 1995 reintroduction with the Mexican wolf release that began in Arizona and New Mexico in 1998.