In 2017, the Trump administration had removed gray wolves from the endangered species list. However, recently a federal judge, Jeffrey S. White, reversed the previous decision putting the wolves back on the list. This came after a lawsuit was filed by the Humane Society of the United States as well as other wild life conservatives, stating that “the USFWS did not take proper consideration when it stripped the animal of Endangered Species Act protections.” USFWS stands for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This ruling makes wolf hunting and the trapping of wolves illegal, in states surrounding the northern Rocky Mountains. However, the bill is only limited to that of the surrounding states, it does not protect inside the Northern Rocky Mountain area.

After the Trump administration removed the wolves from the endangered species list, over 215 wolves were killed in the span of 3 days by hunters.

Wolves on the West Coast and Southern Rocky Mountains are extremely vulnerable and at risk of dying out. It also mandates federal officials to be in charge of managing the wolves to prevent future extinction risks.

There used to be a booming wolf population in Southern California, proving vital to the ecosystem by regulating prey. However, intensive extermination practices have drove the wolves out of the states, the Center for Biological Diversity states “The last wild wolf was documented in California in 1924, when it was shot in Larsen County.”

The debate over wolf hunting has been extreme in areas such as the Yellowstone National Park, since more than 20 wolves were killed leaving the park. The ruling also prohibited hunting of wolves in Wisconsin, this comes after over 200 wolves were killed within four days of hunting. At the moment, an estimated amount of 695 to 751 wolves remain in California, previously at 1,034 in spring 2020.

This is a victory for wolves and animal rights organizations. Keeping endangered species alive and well is crucial to keeping balance within the ecosystem we all live in.