US House votes to remove wolves from endangered list in 48 states (2024)

FAQs

Did the Republicans vote to remove wolf protections? ›

The Republican-majority US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that would remove endangered species protections for the gray wolf across much of the country, sparking outrage among conservationists.

— More than 45 years after gray wolves were first listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the ... The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a rule to delist gray wolves (Canis lupis) currently listed in the contiguous United States and Mexico under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to recovery.

According to the Wolf Conservation Center, Minnesota has the largest population of wolves in the lower 48 states, estimated at nearly 2,700 (winter 2019-2020).

Hunters and farmers have argued the wolf should be delisted as their numbers have grown and spurred wolf conflicts with pets and livestock.

Judge White's ruling on Feb. 10, 2022 reinstated federal protections that had been in place for gray wolves before the service's final delisting rule, thereby relisting the wolves as threatened in Minnesota and endangered in all or parts of 44 U.S. states and Mexico.

Even though Yellowstone elk were still preyed upon by black and grizzly bears, cougars and, to a lesser extent, coyotes, the absence of wolves took a huge amount of predatory pressure off the elk, said Smith. As a result, elk populations did very well-perhaps too well.

American red wolves are critically endangered and the most endangered wolf in the world due to poaching, trapping and habitat loss. According to the USFWS, there are less than 20 American red wolves living in the wild in North Carolina. In addition to these, about 250 are in managed breeding programs like ours.

Gray wolves are listed under the ESA as endangered in 44 states, threatened in Minnesota, and under state jurisdiction in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, portions of eastern Oregon and Washington, and north-central Utah.

Because humans who settled the United States brought with them an intense hatred and fear of wolves, and because wolves can upset farmers by eating their livestock, human activity such as poisoning, trapping, and shooting wolves led to the almost complete extinction of the wolf in the United States.

Learn more here about the mission to make Thompson, Manitoba the wolf capital of the world. Header Image: A famous wolf mural in Thompson, Manitoba, that covers a 10-story tall building is lit up at night.

Where is the largest wolf population in the world? ›

Canada hosts the world's largest wolf population, with more than 50,000 wolves inhabiting its vast landscape. Wolves are heavily hunted and trapped throughout the country, however, and are often killed when they stray from the protection of national and provincial parks.

Alaska has the highest population of wolves in the country. There are about 7,000 to 11,000 wolves within the state. Wolves have thrived in Alaska because they haven't experienced the threats or endangerment to which wolf packs in the lower states have been subjected.

If wolves went extinct, the food chain would crumble. The elk and deer population would increase (see chart on next slide) and eat the cow and other livestock's food. Then we, the Humans, would have a food shortage in beef and dairy and possibly shortages in other food products too.

The measure under the ESA is whether wolves are in danger of extinction (endangered) or at risk of becoming so in the foreseeable future (threatened) throughout all or a significant portion of its range. By any scientific measure, gray wolves no longer meet the ESA's standard for protection and so should be delisted.

Extirpation (1872–1926).

The gray wolf was especially vulnerable to this wanton killing because it was generally considered an undesirable predator and was already being deliberately exterminated throughout its North American range, usually in the interest of protecting livestock.

Probably the best-known wolf recovery effort was the reintroduction of gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park in 1995. Some studies indicate that in pristine areas such as Yellowstone, the establishment of healthy wolf packs has had a positive cascading effect on the ecosystem.

Protecting Wolves in the U.S. Defenders is working with ranchers across the West to develop and implement nonlethal deterrents, better animal husbandry practices and other innovative tools that minimize conflict and build social acceptance for wolves.