On paper, the reintroduction of the gray wolves to the Midwest and Northwest regions of the United States appears to be an Endangered Species Act (ESA) success story. A small population of the species was released into Yellowstone National Park in 1995, and by 2007 they had surpassed their recovery goal of 300 wolves in the Rocky Mountain region (David Ross Price Martin, 2020). Because of this, it made sense for the United States Fisheries and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to consider taking the gray wolf off of the endangered species list. This act went into effect in February 2008, and the species was officially delisted for the first time. However, shortly after, the USFWS was sued by the Defenders of Wildlife and other environmental interest groups.

The main cause for this backlash came from the concern for maintaining the gray wolves’ genetic diversity. If the thirty-one wolves originally reintroduced into Yellowstone did not intermix with other wolf populations they faced the fear of a limited gene pool. Scientists believed that delisting the wolves at such an early stage meant the species could suffer due to the lack of genetic diversity. Due to the argument of genetics, Wyoming’s poor state protection plan, and a number of procedural errors, the USFWS put the gray wolf species back into the endangered species list (David Ross Price Martin, 2020). This was not the last of the court hearings, as from 2007 to 2017, gray wolves have had their status changed under the ESA sixteen times.

Currently, the gray wolves have been taken off the endangered species list by the Trump administration, and we are of the opinion it should stay this way. The gray wolf should be delisted as it has already met the population goal first settled in the ESA agreement. The real issue is keeping the population above the minimum requirements, which is the responsibility of the animal protection services within each state. An example of incorrect population management occurred in the state of Wyoming, who in 2008 allowed farmers to shoot and kill wolves if they caused cattle death. A balance needs to be created between the ESA and states in order to support both the demand of nature and farms. If human inflicted death continues to drastically affect the population size, the argument of whether or not the gray wolf should be on the endangered species list will continue. The process of listing and delisting has only increased the cost that has occurred in ESA legal disputes, further preventing funding to go towards the 1300 animals also on the list (David Ross Price Martin, 2020). The gray wolf rehabilitation should be a lesson in the ESA working closer with states and scientists in order to create a more concert plan so another listing debate occurs.