Gray wolf
Credit: Gary Kramer/USFWS

August 24, 2021 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Since the federal government turned management of gray wolves over to the states on January 4, 2021, these iconic and family-oriented animals have faced relentless persecution by trophy hunters and trappers. Yet, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland reaffirmed the Biden administration’s position that gray wolves should not be afforded Endangered Species Act protections. This decision defies science and the law. The Humane Society family of organizations will continue to fight back against this effort.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said, “Rather than fulfilling their charge to conserve and protect native wildlife, today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service turned their backs on science, ethics and the values of most Americans and endorsed the continued no-holds-barred slaughter of one of our nation’s most iconic species. Returning federal protections to wolves is both legally required and necessary for these wolves’ survival and recovery, and we will continue to fight for their protection.”  

Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, said, “It is fallacious to insist the Biden administration’s review of the science supports delisting wolves. In fact, it defies logic, science and the values of the majority of Americans and serves the interests of only one small group: trophy hunters. As a native Minnesotan, I’ve seen first-hand the value of gray wolves to our natural ecosystems. But it’s not too late—the Biden administration has the opportunity to right the catastrophic wrong by standing by its own platitude of only making evidence-based decisions. Wolves should be listed. Americans support it, and so does the science.”
Source: Humane Society of the United States