“Trump order directs officials to consider stripping protections for gray wolves”

Key points

• Trump signed an executive order directing the interior department to consider de-listing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act.
• The order asks interior secretary Doug Burgum to decide within three months if gray and Mexican gray wolves have recovered enough to be de-listed.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has previously attempted de-listing; current ruling is tied up in litigation from a 2022 court.
• Mexican gray wolves in NM and AZ neared the threshold for de-listing, counting 319 animals at end of 2025.
• Environmental groups criticized the move as undermining environmental safeguards and urged reliance on science and checks.