Big news out of Washington today…in case you didn’t already hear…the U.S. House just passed the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, a bill aimed squarely at gray wolf management in the Lower 48.
In short, The Fence Post reported that the bill delists the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act, blocks courts from relisting wolves through lawsuits, and puts management back in the hands of states, where supporters say it belongs. The vote passed with bipartisan support, 211–204.
Backers of the bill point out that wolf numbers have exploded since federal protections were put in place decades ago—growing from a few hundred to well over 4,000 in the Great Lakes region alone, with more than 6,000 nationwide at the time wolves were delisted in 2020. Despite that recovery, a federal judge relisted wolves in 2022, a move critics say has led to rising livestock losses and growing problems for rural communities.
Supporters—including ranchers, hunters, wildlife groups, and farm organizations—call the gray wolf a true conservation success story and say states are more than capable of managing healthy populations while protecting livestock, pets, and people.
Whether you see it as overdue common sense or a major policy shift, this bill is a big deal in the ongoing wolf debate. Like really big.
Read the full text of the Pet and Livestock Protection Act here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/845
