Confirmed: Trump Orders Review of Protections for Endangered Wolves, Reopening Rancher-Conservation Fight

Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to move toward removing federal protections for the gray wolf and the Mexican wolf, reopening a decades-old dispute between ranchers and conservation groups.

The order does not immediately lift the protections or allow livestock producers to kill wolves that attack their animals. Instead, it gives Interior Secretary Doug Burgum 90 days to determine whether the populations have recovered enough to justify changes under the Endangered Species Act.

The White House has placed ranchers at the center of its argument. The order describes them as playing a “vital role” in the country’s food supply and cultural heritage, and says the government can do more to support the sector. The cattle industry faces pressure from a herd at its lowest level in 75 years, according to data cited by the BBC, while demand for beef has risen by about 10% over the past decade. The administration is also confronting high meat prices for consumers.

Wolves have long been a source of conflict in ranching regions because they can attack cattle and other livestock. Under current federal protections, killing them outside established exceptions can violate federal law. Conservation groups argue that wolf attacks account for only a small share of livestock losses and point to prevention programs. The Wolf Conservation Center also says producers can receive compensation for wolf-related losses, while states fund various prevention measures.

The Mexican wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf, is at the heart of much of the concern. After decades of extermination campaigns linked mainly to ranching conflicts, it nearly disappeared. It received endangered-species protection in 1976, and the last Mexican wolves found in Mexico were captured between 1977 and 1980 for a captive-breeding program. Reintroduction in the United States began in Arizona in 1998. By the end of 2025, at least 319 Mexican wolves were living in the wild, up from 286 a year earlier.