The US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed the delisting of all gray wolves in the United States and Mexico. It is proposing, however, the Mexican wolf be treated as a separate subspecies (Canis lupus baileyi), that it be treated as endangered and that the subspecies’ protection be stepped up. While the Mexican wolf subspecies will have stepped up protection and be the new, narrowed focus of the USFWS, the gray wolf populations’ management will pass back to the states when completely removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list. The proposed rule also constitutes the completion of a status review for gray wolves in the Pacific Northwest initiated on May 5, 2011. Finally, the new gray wolf proposal replaces the May 5, 2011 proposal to remove protection for C. lupus in all portions of 29 eastern states (76 FR 26086).
“Today,” according to the USFWS, “there are at least 6,100 gray wolves in the contiguous United States with a current estimate of 1,674 in the Northern Rocky Mountains and 4,433 in the Western Great Lakes.”
The comment period is open for 90 days and all comments will be posted on www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073. Commenters may wish to view the Service’s wolf information page at www.fws.gov/graywolfrecovery062013.html