Is the gray wolf protected by the Endangered Species Act?
The gray wolf was one of the first species protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1974. The species’ status has changed a few times in the last 30 years, and recently the wolves of the Great Lakes region were designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) and removed from the Endangered Species List (“delisted”). The wolves of the Rocky Mountains are being considered for delistment. The HSUS filed suit in federal court to challenge the delistment of the Great Lakes wolves in April 2007. Also in 2007, The HSUS submitted comments opposing the ‘Distinct Population Segment’ designation and delistment of the Rocky Mountain wolves and awaiting the final rule from the USFWS.
The gray wolf was one of the first species protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1974. The species’ status has changed a few times in the last 30 years, and recently the wolves of the Great Lakes region were designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) and removed from the Endangered Species List (“delisted”). The wolves of the Rocky Mountains are being considered for delistment. The HSUS filed suit in federal court to challenge the delistment of the Great Lakes wolves in April 2007. Also in 2007, The HSUS submitted comments opposing the ‘Distinct Population Segment’ designation and delistment of the Rocky Mountain wolves and awaiting the final rule from the USFWS. Hunting and livestock interests and individual state governments have incessantly pressured the USFWS, which is required to protect wolves under the ESA, to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list and turn over management of the species to state agencies, most of
