Trump order directs officials to consider stripping protections for gray wolves

Key Points:

• Former President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to consider de-listing gray wolves, including Mexican gray wolves, from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to explore easing authorization for killing them.
• Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has three months to assess whether gray wolves have sufficiently recovered for federal de-listing, despite ongoing litigation and existing protections under a 2022 federal court order.
• Mexican gray wolves, a rare subspecies reintroduced in New Mexico and Arizona, have nearly met population recovery thresholds, but environmental advocates warn premature de-listing could harm genetic diversity and face legal challenges.
• The order also urges federal officials to pressure states to remove protections and loosen restrictions on wolf killing, prompting criticism from environmental groups who argue it undermines the ESA and species recovery efforts.
• Trump justified the measures by emphasizing conflicts between ranchers and wolves, suggesting increased allowances for lethal control despite existing federal protections that make killing wolves illegal in most areas.