US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday directing the Interior Department to consider de-listing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act. The order also instructs the agency to contemplate making it easier to authorise their killing.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has been given three months to determine if gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves have recovered enough for federal de-listing. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), a division of the Interior Department, has previously attempted to de-list the gray wolf, a decision that is currently subject to litigation. A 2022 federal court order has maintained protections for wolves under the ESA across most of their range in the lower 48 states, with exceptions in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.
The USFWS has not attempted to de-list the Mexican gray wolf, a subspecies reintroduced in New Mexico and Arizona in 1998. The current recovery plan for Mexican gray wolves requires a population average of more than 320 animals for four consecutive years before de-listing consideration. At the end of 2025, Arizona and New Mexico counted a total of 319 animals, marking the first year officials can begin counting towards this requirement.
Environmental groups have criticised the order. Michael Robinson, an advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, stated that premature de-listing would likely face challenges from environmental organisations. Leia Barnett, New Mexico conservation lead for WildEarth Guardians, described the order as an attempt to override environmental laws and pressure states to roll back wildlife protections.