{"id":13465,"date":"2020-11-04T18:10:35","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T23:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=13465"},"modified":"2026-08-06T10:51:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:51:25","slug":"gray-wolves-endangered-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/2020\/11\/gray-wolves-endangered-species\/","title":{"rendered":"Delisting Gray Wolves Risks Recovery, Expert Warns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-summary\">\n\t\t<p class=\"eyebrow\">Key takeaways<\/p>\n    \n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The federal government plans to remove the gray wolf, a species that went nearly extinct in the 1900s, from the endangered species list.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Landowners, particularly farmers and ranchers, will have increased flexibility to eliminate predatory or aggressive wolves to protect themselves and their livestock. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>State and tribal wildlife agencies will take over the management of gray wolves. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a plan to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list, a decision that has garnered widespread criticism from conservation groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/roland-kays\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/roland-kays\/\">Roland Kays<\/a>, a research professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University, said the federal delisting could hinder recovery efforts in some areas within the species&#8217; natural habitat, particularly Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colorado plans to reintroduce gray wolves in the southern Rockies by the end of 2023. The last gray wolf native to Colorado was believed to have been killed in 1945.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The ideal approach would be for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to end protections for established gray wolf populations out West and in the Great Lakes region, while maintaining the species&#8217; protected status to safeguard ongoing recovery efforts in new areas,&#8221; Kays said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kays added that restoring gray wolves to historic habitats like Colorado provides vital ecological benefits. By keeping deer and elk populations in check, wolves prevent overpopulation, which otherwise leads to thousands of auto accidents and severe forest overgrazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once gray wolves are removed from the endangered species list, landowners will have increased flexibility to eliminate predatory or aggressive wolves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gray wolves can be a source of financial and emotional frustration for landowners as they kill dozens, if not hundreds, of livestock animals every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Landowners are currently only permitted to shoot at wolves in the defense of human life or in certain circumstances when wolves are attacking livestock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/ncsu.wolves.trail_.final_.jpg\" data-fullsize=\"1500x844\" data-zoom=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/ncsu.wolves.trail_.final_-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of a Gray Wolf - Should Gray Wolves Be Removed From the Endangered Species List? - College of Natural Resources News NC State University\" class=\"wp-image-13524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/ncsu.wolves.trail_.final_-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/ncsu.wolves.trail_.final_-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/ncsu.wolves.trail_.final_-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/ncsu.wolves.trail_.final_.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A gray wolf walks through a forested clearing at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch in Montana, captured by a remote trail camera. Photo courtesy of eMammal under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal officials contend that gray wolf populations are \u201cstrong and stable\u201d enough to ensure the species\u2019 long-term survival. Kays said he agrees with that assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gray wolves once roamed across much of North America until unregulated harvesting, trapping and poisoning rendered them nearly extinct by the mid 1900s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a result of federal protection, gray wolves have recovered to more than 6,000 individuals across the western Great Lakes region, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conservation groups and some scientists argue that it\u2019s too early to delist gray wolves as populations remain absent from much of their historical range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the Endangered Species Act, a species should be listed if it\u2019s threatened or endangered in \u201call or a significant portion of its range.\u201d Gray wolves currently occupy less than 20% of their historic range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the delisting is finalized, it will remove federal protections for gray wolves and return management authority to state and tribal wildlife agencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kays said he is confident that state and tribal wildlife agencies are capable of properly managing gray wolves and monitoring the impact of hunting and poaching.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"<!-- wp:ncst\/dynamic-header {\"block\":\"ncst\/default-post-header\",\"isSummaryActive\":true} -->\n<!-- wp:ncst\/default-post-header {\"caption\":\"A gray wolf moves across a snow-covered ridge in a winter landscape, captured by a remote trail camera. Photo courtesy of eMammal under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.\",\"displayCategoryID\":460} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/summary {\"eyebrowLabel\":\"Key takeaways\"} -->\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>The federal government plans to remove the gray wolf, a species that went nearly extinct in the 1900s, from the endangered species list.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Landowners, particularly farmers and ranchers, will have increased flexibility to eliminate predatory or aggressive wolves to protect themselves and their livestock. <\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>State and tribal wildlife agencies will take over the management of gray wolves. <\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/summary -->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a plan to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list, a decision that has garnered widespread criticism from conservation groups.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/roland-kays\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/roland-kays\/\">Roland Kays<\/a>, a research professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University, said the federal delisting could hinder recovery efforts in some areas within the species' natural habitat, particularly Colorado.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Colorado plans to reintroduce gray wolves in the southern Rockies by the end of 2023. The last gray wolf native to Colorado was believed to have been killed in 1945.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\"The ideal approach would be for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to end protections for established gray wolf populations out West and in the Great Lakes region, while maintaining the species' protected status to safeguard ongoing recovery efforts in new areas,\" Kays said.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Kays added that restoring gray wolves to historic habitats like Colorado provides vital ecological benefits. By keeping deer and elk populations in check, wolves prevent overpopulation, which otherwise leads to thousands of auto accidents and severe forest overgrazing.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Once gray wolves are removed from the endangered species list, landowners will have increased flexibility to eliminate predatory or aggressive wolves.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Gray wolves can be a source of financial and emotional frustration for landowners as they kill dozens, if not hundreds, of livestock animals every year.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Landowners are currently only permitted to shoot at wolves in the defense of human life or in certain circumstances when wolves are attacking livestock.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":13524,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/ncsu.wolves.trail_.final_.jpg\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/ncsu.wolves.trail_.final_-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of a Gray Wolf - Should Gray Wolves Be Removed From the Endangered Species List? - College of Natural Resources News NC State University\" class=\"wp-image-13524\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A gray wolf walks through a forested clearing at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch in Montana, captured by a remote trail camera. Photo courtesy of eMammal under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Federal officials contend that gray wolf populations are \u201cstrong and stable\u201d enough to ensure the species\u2019 long-term survival. Kays said he agrees with that assessment.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Gray wolves once roamed across much of North America until unregulated harvesting, trapping and poisoning rendered them nearly extinct by the mid 1900s.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>As a result of federal protection, gray wolves have recovered to more than 6,000 individuals across the western Great Lakes region, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Conservation groups and some scientists argue that it\u2019s too early to delist gray wolves as populations remain absent from much of their historical range.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Under the Endangered Species Act, a species should be listed if it\u2019s threatened or endangered in \u201call or a significant portion of its range.\u201d Gray wolves currently occupy less than 20% of their historic range.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Once the delisting is finalized, it will remove federal protections for gray wolves and return management authority to state and tribal wildlife agencies. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Kays said he is confident that state and tribal wildlife agencies are capable of properly managing gray wolves and monitoring the impact of hunting and poaching.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The federal government&#8217;s plan to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list could hinder recovery efforts in some areas within its natural habitat, particularly Colorado.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":13499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"caption\":\"A gray wolf moves across a snow-covered ridge in a winter landscape, captured by a remote trail camera. Photo courtesy of eMammal under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.\",\"displayCategoryID\":460,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111,1,102,3,460],"tags":[261,30,247],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-13465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fer-research","category-hidden-news","category-hidden-newswire","category-research-innovation","category-thought-leadership","tag-fer-research","tag-fisheries-wildlife-and-conservation-biology","tag-wildlife-management-and-conservation-biology"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":460,"name":"Thought Leadership","slug":"thought-leadership","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":460,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Our more than 200 faculty members are experts in their fields, conducting cutting-edge research to solve urgent challenges at the intersection of the environment, economy and society. Here you will find content highlighting their expertise on a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary issues ranging from the significant rise in forest fires, deforestation and flooding to the need for accelerated innovation to sustainably engineer bio-based materials.","parent":0,"count":89,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13465"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43123,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13465\/revisions\/43123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13465"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=13465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}