President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday directing federal officials to review and potentially eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves and Mexican wolves, a move that could allow ranchers to defend their livestock against predator attacks without federal restrictions.
90-Day Deadline For Delisting Decision
The order gives Interior Secretary Doug Burgum 90 days to determine whether wolf populations have met federal recovery criteria for removal from the endangered species list. If recovery goals are satisfied, the administration will begin removing or reducing federal protections while preparing legislative recommendations for Congress. The directive also instructs Interior and Agriculture departments to revise regulations governing lethal wolf removal, compensation programs for livestock losses, and emergency responses involving wolves that threaten livestock or human safety.
Trump signed the order during an Oval Office ceremony alongside Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and ranchers. “They’re destroying these businesses,” Trump stated. “You watch them go right through your herd, and they’re violent.” Rollins emphasized that ranchers in federally protected wolf areas cannot currently defend their herds. “Because they’re on the endangered species list, they can’t shoot them,” Rollins explained. “They have to sit and watch them destroy their herd.”
Part Of Broader Cattle Industry Support
The wolf directive represents one of two executive orders Trump signed Friday aimed at strengthening the cattle industry. The administration faces criticism from ranchers following its recent decision to temporarily reduce tariffs on imported beef to lower grocery prices. The White House reports the U.S. cattle herd has fallen to its lowest level in 75 years despite growing beef demand. The orders direct federal agencies to explore ways to strengthen ranching operations, study country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef, and expand opportunities for ranchers to process and sell meat from their own operations.
Decades-Long Protection Battle
Gray wolves were first listed as endangered in 1967 after populations collapsed due to hunting and human activities. The Trump administration previously removed federal protections for gray wolves across most of the Lower 48 states in 2020, but a federal judge restored those protections in 2022 after wildlife organizations successfully challenged the rule. House Republicans voted last year to reinstate the 2020 rule, though the legislation remains stalled in the Senate.
What This Means
The Humane World Action Fund criticized the executive order, with President Sara Amundson calling wolves a scapegoat for broader ranching challenges. She cited U.S. Department of Agriculture data showing fewer than one percent of cattle and sheep deaths result from wild carnivores, including wolves. Amundson argued weakening federal protections would cause widespread deaths among gray wolves still recovering from near-extinction. The order also directs Burgum to work with states to encourage removal of state-level protections if federal delisting proceeds.
Mankind thinks it is the only species entitled to exist. Our Creator, made wolves and other species, too. Mankind is wiping everything out. I was told as a child, when all other species are gone, mankind will be gone, too. Wolves are carnivores and eat meat. Mankind is not a carnivore with claws and fangs. Mankind can live healthfully without meat.
You are telling everyone what they can eat? Who do you think you are….the meat police? You can eat your carrots; I’ll stick to a good porterhouse, medium rare. Don’t tell me about healthy, I’m 94.
Yah with medium rare. You won’t live much longer to enjoy it anyway. I’m not a vegan, but you don’t look at te bigger picture.
Trump is certainly not a conservationist, or a protector of wildlife. Maybe there should be a review of whether Trump should continue as POTUS or not.
Use the triple S rule on wolves.
when the wolves eat all of the cows what will they eat next? Prime human?