Trump Moves to Strip Protections for Wolves

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Washington DC: President Donald Trump has pushed to strip Endangered Species Act protections for gray and Mexican wolves in an executive order aimed at helping cattle ranchers combat livestock losses.

The order gives Interior Secretary Doug Burgum 90 days to determine if the predators have met recovery criteria for delisting. If approved, federal officials will coordinate with state authorities to loosen legal standards for killing wolves.

The policy targets an estimated 7,600 gray wolves and 317 endangered Mexican wolves remaining in the contiguous United States. Trump previously delisted gray wolves during his first term, but court decisions reversed the policy in 2022.

Conservationists strongly condemned the directive, warning it threatens fragile species recoveries. Opponents framed the move as political damage control over beef import policies, emphasizing that ranchers already receive full government compensation for livestock killed by wolves.

This decision follows three executive rules finalized in July that previously scaled back landmark Endangered Species Act habitat and species protections.