Gray wolf protections end across most of U.S.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — The Trump administration has removed gray wolves from the endangered species list in most of the U.S., including Washington State.

The move gives the 48 contiguous states the authority to manage their local wolf populations, including by allowing them to be hunted; wolves have never been protected in Alaska.

Conservation groups including the Center for Biological Diversity said it lacked scientific justification as the animals remain absent from much of their historical range.

The Trump administration argued that gray wolves have recovered from near extinction, exceeding conservation goals and no longer meeting the legal definitions of a threatened or endangered species.