Wolves face Trump bid to drop US protections

President Donald Trump's administration moved Friday to consider dropping or reducing endangered species protections for gray wolves and Mexican wolves in the United States.

An executive order aimed at helping cattle ranchers address livestock losses gave Interior Secretary Doug Burgum 90 days to decide whether the wolves have met recovery criteria for delisting or downlisting under the Endangered Species Act. If Burgum finds the criteria have been met, the order asks him to begin the delisting process.

The order also says federal officials should meet with state authorities and encourage similar measures, including looser standards for killing wolves.

Conservationists criticised the move. Ben Greuel, wildlife campaign manager at the Sierra Club, said Trump was putting gray wolves and Mexican wolves at risk to answer anger over the administration's beef import policies.

The Wolf Conservation Center estimates there are about 7,600 gray wolves in the contiguous United States. The Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team put the number of Mexican wolves at 317 at the end of 2025.

Trump delisted gray wolves during his first term, but not Mexican wolves. Former president Joe Biden's administration defended that delisting in court but lost in 2022, and the policy was reversed.

Trump's government in July also finalised three rules weakening the Endangered Species Act, including changes to rules on habitat harm, threatened species protections and critical habitat decisions.