Trump administration moves to reduce wolf protections

The Trump administration has issued an executive order aimed at reviewing and potentially removing protections for gray wolves and Mexican wolves under the Endangered Species Act. The order establishes a 90-day deadline to determine if these species have met the necessary recovery criteria to be downgraded or removed from the endangered species list.

The move is intended to support ranchers by reducing livestock losses caused by predators. If the recovery criteria are met, the federal government plans to work with state authorities to encourage similar measures and relax regulations regarding the hunting of wolves.

Conservationists have expressed outrage, arguing that the decision jeopardizes the recovery of species that were once on the brink of extinction. While the gray wolf had its protections removed during Trump’s first term, the Mexican wolf remains at higher risk. The administration's actions represent a broader effort to weaken the historical Endangered Species Act.