According to the BBC, Donald Trump has signed an executive order to remove endangered species protections for the grey wolf and the Mexican wolf, giving Interior Secretary Doug Burgum 90 days to decide whether the populations have recovered enough to be taken off the list. The order could eventually allow ranchers to kill wolves that prey on livestock, though it does not give them immediate permission to do so.

US Fish and Wildlife Service figures showed 319 Mexican wolves in the wild in the US in 2025, up from four in 1998, while there are roughly 18,000 grey wolves across the country. Conservation groups criticized the move, saying it could undermine recovery efforts, and said ranchers already can receive compensation for livestock losses under the current system. The order comes as the Trump administration seeks to lower record-high beef prices for consumers amid drought and a parasite outbreak in US beef stocks.