Once-Hated Gray Wolf Thrives in the U.S. Rockies Wed Jan 5,10:07 AM ET Science - Reuters By Judith Crosson DENVER (Reuters) - As the gray wolf hovered on the brink of extinction a decade ago, U.S. officials embarked on a controversial plan to open the vast refuge of Yellowstone National Park to the pack-based predators in the hopes of rebuilding the species. Seeking to reintroduce an animal that had been an icon of the West even though it was reviled by ranchers, the Clinton administration 10 years ago this month released gray wolves imported from Canada into Yellowstone with great...