Some conservation groups are suing federal and state officials over Idaho's plan to track and kill wolves from two packs in central Idaho.
The lawsuit, filed by Defenders of Wildlife, Western Watersheds Project and Wilderness Watch on Monday, asks the judge to stop the extermination immediately to give the case time to work through the courts.
Idaho wildlife officials hired the hunter late last year to begin killing the two packs in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game hopes the extermination will aid the recovery of elk populations in the region. The conservation groups contend the large-scale removal of wolves contravenes federal law and alters the character of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.