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US wildlife officials aim to remove wolf protections in 2020

Gray Wolves Endangered
Posted at 10:10 PM, Aug 31, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-31 22:10:56-04

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Trump administration plans to lift endangered species protections for gray wolves across most of the nation by the end of the year.

The director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday that a final decision on the predators' legal status in the Lower 48 states is “very imminent.”

More than 6,000 wolves now roam portions of the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains.

Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith told The Associated Press in a phone interview that the administration also is pushing ahead with a rollback of protections for migratory birds despite a recent setback in federal court.