Shooting and killing wolf pups in their dens used to be illegal. Now the government is doing it again on behalf of the ranching industry. In fact, a group of Idaho high school students monitoring a pack of wolves in the state were shocked to find out the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently killed all of the wolf pups in the pack they had been studying for years.

Gray wolves once roamed the entire North American continent but overhunting and habitat loss pushed them to the edge of extinction. Thanks to the Endangered Species Act, their numbers began to increase, but now they're in danger once again.

The Trump Administration removed protections for wolves from coast-to-coast in 2020 and shockingly, the Biden Administration is defending and upholding that removal of protections. Without the protections of the Endangered Species Act in place, states have passed aggressive wolf hunting policies, pushed by conservative lawmakers and the ranching industry.

Wisconsin killed hundreds of its wolves last winter and Idaho recently passed a law approving the killing of 90% of its wolf population. Montana could kill 85% of its wolves following the passage of similar anti-wolf legislation. Wolves are being subjected to cruel hunting practices like leg hold traps and snares–on top of trophy hunting.

There is massive support for returning the protection of gray wolves, but the Administration is ignoring it. In fact, Tribal representatives drafted a Wolf Treaty signed by more than 700 Tribes and recently came to DC for meetings to urge Interior Secretary Haaland to relist wolves under the Endangered Species Act, only to be rejected twice. You can find the tribal delegation's statement here. Both the Assembly of First Nations and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) have also drafted statements to Secretary Haaland.

Scientists have demonstrated that wolves benefit the places fortunate enough to have them. The unsustainable killing of wolves will have long-lasting effects on the ecosystem and will threaten the recovery of this species.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland must meet with Tribal leaders to hear their plea to protect wolves and then follow through by issuing emergency protection for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

Sign the petition to Secretary Haaland: Meet with Tribes and reinstate protections for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act!