"Today’s announcement simply reflects the determination that this species is neither a threatened nor endangered species based on the specific factors Congress has laid out in the law.". In fact, ranchers and farmers in Wisconsin and other states across the Great Lakes region lost more than 100 animals, including cattle and sheep, as a result of wolf depredation in 2019, the last year data is available. In 2020, that estimate is at 1,034. The Endangered Species Act was passed by Congress in 1973 to protect plants and … U.S. In the 1970s, the U.S. listed the gray wolf as endangered. “A lot of people think that animals have to stay on the endangered species list when they’re added. Are trains on track for a comeback in Mexico? These include 17 wolves in three packs in the state’s West Wolf Management Zone, and 141 wolves in 19 packs in the East Wolf Management Zone. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) – a bureau within the Department of the Interior – has restricted hunting for gray wolves and provided other protections for the species under the Endangered Species Act. Wildlife Services is a federal agency that shoots, traps, and poisons wild animals en masse at the behest of state governments, agricultural interests, and more. “I would have liked them to remove protections for the populations out West and in the Great Lakes, but leave the species on the list so that we can protect those recovering in new areas.”. A number of environmental organizations across the country have condemned the decision to delist gray wolves as premature and promised to take legal action. Gray wolves have been protected by federal law for more than 45 years under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a media call on Thursday that a federal listing is not required for wolves to spread to other locations. “If the goal is to have wolves back where they were before we killed them in the turn of the century, that’s not something you will have without a federal recovery plan,” she says. Sign up for more inspiring photos, stories, and special offers from National Geographic. A senior official for the U.S. In the Great Lakes region, the canines have slowly expanded on their own, boosted by a remnant population in Minnesota and Canada. For example, when a wildlife population is abundant, agencies may extend the hunting and trapping season and increase the allowed harvests to regulate some of the excess animals. “The [wildlife] service is just about done discharging its mandatory duties for Canis lupus, and their case for delisting is much, much stronger if the species is restored in a viable population in western Colorado,” says Phillips. Share Tweet Email. “We need to trust the science,” DePerno said. While environmentalists and animal rights groups argue that the measures are cruel and unnecessary, many wildlife experts deem them essential tools for conservation. But that’s not how it works,” DePerno explained. Those packs could ultimately connect with wolves in other regions, such as the northern Rocky Mountains and New Mexico. Interior Secretary David … “Wolves prey on large species like deer and elk,” he said. The Trump administration has announced plans to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list, stripping the animals of federal protections and handing control over to states including Michigan, where nearly 700 wolves roam the Upper Peninsula. According to the 2019 minimum wolf count, there are 158 known wolves in Oregon. But the debate about removing the wolves from the endangered species debate still rages. “Look at all the places where we have cities now. Oct. 29, 2020 at 10:19 p.m. UTC. The 95-million-year-old fossil has paleontologists wondering if other ancient sharks could have also had peculiar body shapes. Much of the modern-day debate centers on where wolves should live. But if that was a requirement under the Endangered Species Act, we probably wouldn’t meet the recovery goals for a lot of animals.”. Once on the verge of extinction, the rarest subspecies of the gray wolf in North America has seen its population nearly double over the last five years, with more gains being reported in 2020. The return of gray wolves. |   Privacy Policy, Alzheimer’s drug from Biogen fails to win support of FDA advisory committee, TechWire Rewind: Stocks surge; quarterly earnings updates; startup funding + more across 75 headlines. By decreasing the elk population, for example, the wolves have increased the availability of woody plants and forage for beavers, bison and other animals throughout the park. 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Animal activist groups are speaking out against the delisting of Gray Wolves, arguing that the species is still vulnerable. As with many large carnivores, the gray wolf plays an important role in maintaining ecosystem health and integrity, according to Kays. Wolves only occupy 20 percent of their historic range throughout North America. The decision does not affect Mexican gray wolves and red wolves, related lineages that are both still listed and exist in extremely small populations in the wild. But DNA testing of scat samples taken near an elk carcass in Moffat County, in northwestern Colorado, in January confirmed the presence of three females and one male. Joe Kopic is a cattle farmer in Meadowlands, which is north of Duluth. Scientists reintroduced the predators to the region in the 1990s. In addition, the presence of wolves has reduced the park’s coyote population, leading to an increase in rodents and birds. Mankind hunted, trapped, and poisoned gray wolves into near extinction with fewer than 1,000 remaining before the species was listed as endangered in 1974. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today, likely setting off a flurry of lawsuits by wolf advocates who believe the decision is premature. Since 1974, the U.S. More than 430 manatees have perished in 2021. Fungi are key to our survival. Why a new jaguar sighting near the Arizona-Mexico border gives experts hope, When lions eat livestock, relocation is common—but often deadly, Skeleton photos are getting a boost with the help of gelatin, Harp seal pups dying on beach as winter sea ice fails. Sometimes these goals can take decades or even hundreds of years to accomplish. ", Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright © 2015-2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Today, the gray wolf population in the contiguous U.S. has recovered to nearly 6,000 individuals across the western Great Lakes region, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest. Gray wolves are no longer an endangered species in the continental United States, the U.S. "It's an ongoing battle," Kopic said. An initiative on the Colorado ballot this week will allow residents to decide whether or not to reintroduce wolves to the state. US dropping gray wolf protections in 2020 Wolves in recent decades rebounded in the western Great Lakes region and portions of the West. Because of the restrictions placed on landowners by the Endangered Species Act, some states offer farmers and ranchers reimbursements for the loss of their livestock — as long as investigators can prove that wolves were the cause of an animal’s death. Gray wolves roamed across much of North America, from Alaska to Mexico and Maine to California, until unregulated harvesting, trapping and poisoning rendered them nearly extinct by the mid-20th century. The question of whether to reintroduce wolves to Colorado, which has been discussed for years, will be voted on next Tuesday. Daring ‘rescue’ mission results in Dead Sea Scroll finds, other rare discoveries. Fish and Wildlife Service official said on the Thursday call, "including deer, elk, wild turkeys, river otters, and many other game and non-game species that had been extirpated and restored to healthy populations. The latest figures available show that the park’s wolf population has expanded from 31 individuals to thousands across the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem and surrounding states since the federal government launched its reintroduction program. They were delisted in Wyoming in 2016, and that decision was held up on appeal in April 2017. Status of gray wolves on the endangered species list. In fact, more than 40 species, including the bald eagle and American alligator, have recovered and been delisted. SILVER CITY, N.M.— The U.S. population of endangered Mexican gray wolves grew by 23 animals, from 163 in in 2019 to 186 in 2020, according to a legal filing by the U.S. This article was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 21 September 2020. All rights reserved, the agency began the process to remove the species from the Endangered Species List in March 2019, Advocates point to wolves’ natural roles in ecosystems, such as their ability to help keep herds of elk and deer in check, Read why Americans are so divided over saving wolves, shows that wolves could thrive in 17 states, See unique pictures of wolves taken in Yellowstone. What the world can learn from West Virginia’s successful vaccine roll-out. Fish and Wildlife Service is removing federal protections for gray wolves in the contiguous U.S., saying the species' recovery is … Kays said ranchers and farmers will ultimately have more flexibility to kill predatory or aggressive wolves once the species is delisted and management returns to state and tribal agencies. Kays, whose research has focused on the genetic relationship and evolution of wolves and coyotes in North America, added that Colorado and other areas where wolves once roamed would benefit if the species was recovered. "State and tribal wildlife agencies have a long track record of successfully managing wildlife in their states," the U.S. Chris DePerno, a professor of fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, said the goal of the Endangered Species Act is to protect and recover imperiled species, such as the gray wolf, so they no longer require federal protection and can survive on their own. The current law prohibits the harming or killing of endangered species, bans their import and export and requires protection for land and water vital to species recovery – “critical habitat.”. “Today’s announcement simply reflects the determination that this species is neither a threatened or endangered species based on the specific factors Congress has laid out in the law.”. Groups ask court to restore protections for US gray wolves. Federal wildlife officials, on the other hand, contend that wolf populations in the western Great Lakes region, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest are “strong and stable” enough to ensure the species’ long-term survival. Gray Wolves To Lose Endangered Species Protections The U.S. DePerno, whose research interests include population ecology and the management of big game species and predators, said he expects gray wolf populations to remain stable or even increase across their current ranges despite being stripped of their endangered species protections. Fish and Wildlife Service. Agriculture groups and some hunting organizations decry wolves’ tendency to kill sheep and cows and to feed on valuable game species. What if the world’s biggest customer went green? “The federal government, working with biologists, sets specific recovery goals for each and every species listed as endangered. The last gray wolf native to Colorado was believed to have been killed in 1945. She was a child prodigy whose brilliance was clear from the start. If the measure passes, Colorado Parks and Wildlife would be required to create and execute a plan to reintroduce gray wolves to the western portion of the state by the end of 2023. Even without federal protections, the state of Colorado currently considers wolves endangered, as do some other states, including Washington, California, and Nebraska. Fish and Wildlife Service protected gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act in 1978. WASHINGTON, D.C. October 29th, 2020. In October of 2020, wolves were removed from the Endangered Species Act across the contiguous U.S. However, despite the many ecological benefits provided by wolves, the species can also be a source of financial and emotional frustration for landowners as they kill dozens, if not hundreds, of livestock animals every year. 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