Trump Signs Order to Reassess Protections for Grey Wolves
President Trump has signed an executive order that calls for the reassessment of endangered species protections for grey wolves and Mexican wolves. This directive gives the Interior Secretary 90 days to evaluate their population recovery before any decisions are made.
Sources
Donald Trump has signed an executive order to remove endangered species protections for the grey wolf and the Mexican wolf, allowing the Interior Secretary 90 days to assess their population recovery. The current population stands at 319 Mexican wolves, up from just four in 1998, while there are approximately 18,000 grey wolves in the US. Conservation groups argue that this move threatens recovery efforts, as studies show wolf attacks on livestock are rare, and ranchers already receive up to 100% compensation for livestock losses due to wolves.
Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to consider de-listing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act within three months, which includes reviewing the possibility of easing restrictions on their killing. Currently, the Mexican gray wolf population totals 319, just shy of the 320 required for four consecutive years to trigger de-listing consideration, while gray wolves remain protected across most of the lower 48 states despite pushback from ranchers. The order has faced criticism from environmental groups, highlighting concerns about the implications for species recovery and increased vulnerability due to genetic diversity issues in the Mexican gray wolf population.