Trump signs order to review removing endangered species protection for grey wolves

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to review whether grey wolves and Mexican wolves should leave the federal endangered species list, BBC News reported.

The order gives Interior Secretary Doug Burgum 90 days to determine whether the populations have recovered enough to warrant removal from endangered status. It does not immediately authorize ranchers to shoot wolves that prey on livestock. The White House said ranchers play a vital role in the food supply and in American cultural heritage. The order noted U.S. livestock herds are at a 75-year low while beef demand rose about 10% over the past decade, and said more should be done to support the industry.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service figures cited by BBC showed 319 Mexican wolves in the wild in the United States in 2025, up from four when reintroduction began in 1998. Roughly 18,000 grey wolves live across the country, though large parts of historic habitat remain unavailable. A 2022 federal delisting effort stalled in court. Conservation groups signaled they may litigate again if Interior moves to delist under the new order.

Environmental organizations argued wolf attacks on livestock are relatively rare and that ranchers can receive compensation for losses under existing state and federal programs. Claire Musser of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project said population growth alone does not mean the Mexican wolf is recovered. Greta Anderson of Western Watersheds Project called the focus a distraction from other pressures on ranchers.

The order arrives as the administration works to ease high beef prices for consumers after drought and parasite problems tightened U.S. cattle supplies. Ranchers have also watched import policy changes aimed at cooling grocery prices. For readers, the near-term fact is procedural: Burgum's 90-day review, then possible rulemaking, then likely lawsuits before any on-the-ground change in wolf protections.