US President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to weaken endangered species protections for wolves, prompting an angry response from conservationists who warn that the predators’ recovery could be put at risk.
In an executive order issued on Friday, Trump directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to determine within 90 days whether gray wolves and Mexican wolves have met the recovery criteria required for removal or reduction of their protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
If Burgum determines that the recovery criteria have been met, the administration is expected to begin the process of delisting the wolves.
The order also directs federal officials to work with state authorities and encourage measures that would loosen restrictions on killing wolves.
During an Oval Office event with ranchers, Trump appeared to misunderstand the immediate effect of the order.
“But you can shoot them as of today?” he asked.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins corrected him, laughing before saying: “Secretary Burgum has to do a little magic.”
At least 250,000 wolves are believed to have once roamed across the United States before European settlers launched campaigns that drastically reduced their numbers.
Trump previously removed federal protections for gray wolves during his first term, while Mexican wolves remained protected. That decision was later reversed after the Biden administration’s position was challenged in court, with the reversal taking effect in 2022.
The Wolf Conservation Center estimates that about 7,600 gray wolves remain in the contiguous United States, while the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team recorded 317 Mexican wolves at the end of 2025.
Ben Greuel, wildlife campaign manager at the Sierra Club, criticised the latest move, describing it as an attempt to appease cattle ranchers amid anger over the administration’s temporary increase in lower-tariff beef imports.
“Trump is putting gray wolves and Mexican wolves in the crosshairs to placate the backlash caused by his own beef import policies,” he said. “Turning wolf protections into political damage control will do nothing to lower grocery bills or help families struggling with the cost of living.”
Conservationists also note that ranchers can receive compensation for livestock losses caused by wolves through state and federal programmes. Under the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, federal compensation can cover up to 100 per cent of confirmed wolf kills.
The latest order comes after Trump’s administration finalised three measures in July that weakened aspects of the Endangered Species Act.
One removed the longstanding definition of “harm” that included habitat destruction. Another ended automatic application of endangered species protections to animals classified as threatened.
The third requires economic and national security considerations to be weighed when determining whether an area should be designated as critical habitat.
