Some protect it; others don’t welcome it. The gray wolf has been removed from the list of endangered species in the USA, although there are less than 20% individuals of the original population. The protecting groups don’t agree.
The Gray Wolf No Longer Belongs to the Endangered Species List
In the last century, the gray wolf has inhabited North America from Alaska to California. A federally controlled extermination campaign wiped out most predators across the United States in the early 1920s. In the 1970s, the United States added the gray wolf to its endangered species list.
Last month, the U.S. The Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that the gray wolf is no longer on the U.S. endangered species list. The agency said the gray wolf population, which has about 6,000 individuals, is stable and healthy.
“After more than 45 years as a listed species, the gray wolf has exceeded all conservation goals for recovery,” David Bernhardt, secretary of the Department of the Interior, said in a Thursday news release. “Today’s announcement simply reflects the determination that this species is neither a threatened nor endangered species based on the specific factors Congress has laid out in the law. “
The list of extinct, endangered, and critically endangered species is continuously expanding. The natural environment of fauna and flora are disappearing due to human activity.
Why the Protecting Groups Disagree?
Currently, the Gray Wolf population in North America is less than 20% of the original numbers, compared to the historical range. Conservation groups say it is too early to remove wolves from the list because populations are still regaining most of their native habitat.
“Not only that, but the return of wolf management to the state level without a coherent national conservation strategy for this species is detrimental,” said Kristen Boyles, a lawyer at Earthjustice, an environmental law company. Boyles plans to defend the gray wolves in court.
The people living in the USA are divided into two groups, supporters and opponents of wolves. Proponents advocate the predator as a natural control of deer before overbreeding. Farmers do not want wolves because they attack farm animals. The Mexican gray wolf and the red wolf remain on the list of endangered species.
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/10/gray-wolves-taken-off-endangered-species-list-in-controversial-move/
