He shot a gray wolf and a black bear, firing his pistol as the bear charged at him.

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The Mexican wolf or El Lobo, a subspecies of the gray wolf, once roamed freely through the oak-woodlands of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico.

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Since then, the federal wildlife agency has considered the effective management of gray wolves in Minnesota a critical component in its national gray wolf recovery effort.

CNN: Minnesota wolves considered for delisting

The federal agency said that it will review the plan to ensure that it allows for the sustained recovery of gray wolf populations in the Midwest.

CNN: Minnesota wolves considered for delisting

In the early 20th century, the gray wolf was often hunted by settlers in the western United States who said the predators were killing off their livestock.

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"The Minnesota plan represents one of the final chapters in a tremendous gray wolf success story, both here and across the nation, " said Bill Hartwig, regional director of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

CNN: Minnesota wolves considered for delisting

"We are strongly opposed to downlisting the gray wolf in the Northern Rockies because it is an effort based not on sound science, but what appears to be a political strategy, and one that may have profound adverse impacts on the recovery of imperiled species nationwide, " said the groups in the letter.

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The Minnesota House Agriculture Committee approved a bill March 10 that will allow the hunting and trapping of Minnesota gray wolves as long as the state wolf population exceeds 1, 600 animals.

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