The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota has paid out a record $154,136 to residents whose livestock or pets were killed by wolves in the past year, part of a gradual upward trend also seen in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Those are all states where the gray wolf came off the endangered list in January.
The claims provide further evidence that wolves are thriving in the Upper Midwest, even as animal rights groups protest plans for wolf hunting seasons this fall in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Officials in those states say populations have recovered enough to support limited hunting.
Michigan hasn't set a sport wolf hunting season so far.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. )