VI.

Conservation History

By the early 20th century, wolf populations had been significantly reduced in many areas, and the animal has neared extinction in Western Europe, Mexico, and regions of the United States. Under the United States Endangered Species Act of 1973, the gray wolf was listed as a threatened species in Minnesota and as an endangered species elsewhere in the United States, except Alaska. In 1995 and 1996 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) reintroduced gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park and the Sawtooth Mountain region of central Idaho. These reintroductions were highly successful, and in March 2008 the USFWS removed wolves in the northern Rocky Mountain region from the federal list of endangered and threatened species. In July 2008, however, after environmental groups sought to overturn the decision, protection was restored for gray wolves in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. In early 2007, wolves in the western Great Lakes region were removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened species.

The Mexican gray wolf was nearly extinct by the 1970s and listed as endangered in 1976. A successful captive-breeding program was initiated and in 1998 it was reintroduced to areas of Arizona and New Mexico.