Trump administration removes protections for gray wolves

The Trump administration on Thursday announced that gray wolves will no longer receive federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.

This will affect the population in the Lower 48 states, turning management over to local wildlife agencies. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said the species has "exceeded all conservation goals for recovery" and "is neither a threatened nor endangered species based on the specific factors Congress has laid out in the law."

In the 1970s, there were only about 1,000 gray wolves left in the United States, with many killed by farmers and ranchers who view the animal as a threat to livestock. Thanks to protections, there are now about 6,000, but they are primarily in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and some parts of the Rocky Mountains. Conservationists wanted to reintroduce gray wolves to Colorado, but say this might not be possible due to the status change.

"Stripping protections for gray wolves is premature and reckless," Defenders of Wildlife President Jamie Rappaport Clark told The Guardian. "Gray wolves occupy only a fraction of their former range and need continued federal protection to fully recover. We will be taking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to court to defend this iconic species."