Gray Wolf Protections Reissued Across Much of the United States

​www.npr.org/2022/02/10/1079965463/protections-for-gray-wolves-restored-across-much-of-the-u-s

A judge restored gray wolf protections across much of the United States this past Thursday after being delisted just over a year ago. This monumental verdict comes at a crucial time for gray wolves as they plunge towards endangerment once again. Gray wolves were protected under the Endangered Species Act for over 40 years, so to see them back on the list after only being off for a year is incredibly disheartening but necessary. Without these protections, gray wolves would undoubtedly go extinct.

From what felt like the very minute they were delisted, states that harboured wolf populations wasted no time in reinstating hunting. For example, Wisconsin hunted in excess of their quota, killing 218 gray wolves in only 4 days. When you consider how quickly wolves were being slaughtered, it's apparent that conservation remains a divided issue. 

Wolves are under constant threat to their survival. Perils include fragmentation, habitat loss, hunting, and livestock conflicts. Unsurprisingly, all of the perils gray wolves currently face can be directly traced back to humans. Our relationship with the animal kingdom remains skewed and the story of wolves is one that shows that without protections, we'd undoubtedly push them to extinction.

Wolves are crucial to their ecosystems, maintaining the balance of predator and prey. Wolves help to keep deer population in check along with other small animals / rodents. When we start taking predators out of the equation, prey animals can rapidly become abundant which puts incredible strain on these habitats. Unfortunately, the cycle of human manipulation continues as we permit ourselves to then hunt prey animals as a form of habitat maintenance. Our manipulation of ecosystems is directly linked to habitat decimation, climate change, and the extinction of native animals. We are literally destroying everything around us and then destroying further to fix previous destruction. 

Wolves are a cautionary tale to us all about how easily susceptible the animal kingdom is to our interference & frankly, our ignorance. Just as quickly as they were delisted, they are back under federal protection. If we do not change our actions and our views towards animals; particularly predatory ones, years of conservation efforts will be in vain. Everything around us is going extinct and the only ones who can do anything about it are directly responsible. 

I'm incredibly grateful for the #RelistWolves / #RelistWolvesNow hashtag that's been trending on twitter now for a couple months and the tireless efforts of activists and conservationists who've sounded the alarm on gray wolves. Without that continued action, I don't believe wolves would have a fighting chance. My only hope is that by the time gray wolves are once again stable, we too have learned the error of our ways and have found a way to coexist.

HAPPY VEG