Trump administration removes protections for gray wolves

A female gray wolf named Crystal at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

(Image credit: Allison Shelley/Getty Images)

published 30 October 2020

The Trump administration on Thursday announced that gray wolves will no longer receive federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.

This will affect the population in the Lower 48 states, turning management over to local wildlife agencies. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said the species has "exceeded all conservation goals for recovery" and "is neither a threatened nor endangered species based on the specific factors Congress has laid out in the law."

In the 1970s, there were only about 1,000 gray wolves left in the United States, with many killed by farmers and ranchers who view the animal as a threat to livestock. Thanks to protections, there are now about 6,000, but they are primarily in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and some parts of the Rocky Mountains. Conservationists wanted to reintroduce gray wolves to Colorado, but say this might not be possible due to the status change.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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