Rancher doesn't like wolves, sues federal government

Eugene Hussey is seeking $20,500 from the federal government for damages caused by the federal reintroduction program that has released 15 wolves in a nearby wilderness area.

The dispute erupted in January when one of the wolves was found dead next to one of Hussey's newborn calves. The controversy escalated when Hussey argued with federal wildlife investigators (267k), refusing to allow them onto his property to search for the bullet used to kill the wolf.

In the suit, he is asking for $500 as compensation for a calf, plus $10,000 as compensation for the government's "physical taking" of his ranch and $10,000 for the government's "regulatory taking" of the ranch as a result of the program's restrictions.

"The government has imported the wolves and implemented regulations to protect the wolves, which prohibit him from protecting his own property," said Hussey's attorney, Maurice Ellsworth.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service does not believe the calf was killed by the wolf, according to reports in the Boise Idaho Statesman. Evidence indicates the calf may never have stood after it was born and was dead when the wolf found it.

The government has 60 days to file a response.

Hussey and the federal government have disputed virtually every step of the case. Hussey claimed federal investigators were heavy-handed and abusive during an initial meeting, sending conservatives in Congress into a full-scale attack on the federal agents. A tape recording of the meeting--recently released--cast doubt upon Hussey's claims.

This story compiled by Greenwire