Trump order directs officials to consider stripping protections for gray wolves

On Friday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the Interior Department to evaluate whether gray wolves should be removed from the endangered species list under the Endangered Species Act. The order grants Interior Secretary Doug Burgum three months to determine if the gray wolf and its subspecies, the Mexican gray wolf, have recovered sufficiently to warrant de-listing.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has already attempted to de-list the gray wolf, but a 2022 federal court ruling keeps them protected in most of their range across the lower 48 states, with the exception of northern Rocky Mountain states like Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. In Minnesota, wolves are classified as "threatened." The USFWS has not sought to de-list the Mexican gray wolf, a rare subspecies reintroduced to New Mexico and Arizona in 1998.

For the Mexican wolves to be considered for de-listing, their population must average more than 320 animals for four consecutive years. Arizona and New Mexico currently have a combined total of 319 Mexican gray wolves. However, concerns regarding genetic diversity have been raised by environmental advocates, who warn that premature de-listing could lead to further challenges from conservation groups.

Trump's directive also calls for urging states to relax protections for gray wolves and ease local restrictions on killing them. Environmental organizations have strongly criticized the administration's actions, emphasizing that the decision-making process should be based on scientific evidence and legal protections rather than political influence.

The federal government has historically hunted and killed wolves in the United States to protect livestock, pushing them to the brink of extirpation from the contiguous states. Ranchers still view wolves as a nuisance that threatens their profit margins. During the signing ceremony, Trump appeared to suggest that his order would make it easier to shoot Mexican gray wolves, despite wolves generally remaining protected under the Endangered Species Act.