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| Photo by M. Barrett Miller |
Over 2 million wolves once roamed freely
across North America. Today, only about 6,000 gray wolves remain in the contiguous United States. Despite this,
thousands of gray wolves are still hunted down each year, with thousands more at dire risk.
Wolves are vital to healthy ecosystems. They help keep deer and elk populations balanced, protect riverbanks from
overgrazing, and allow forests and meadows to thrive. Wolves also help slow the spread of chronic wasting disease, a
deadly illness sweeping through deer and elk herds across North America. Y et, myths and fear continue to threaten their
survival. Just a few of those common myths about wolves include:
MYTH: Wolves pose a serious threat to livestock, and the only solution is to eliminate them.
FACT: Wolves are responsible for less than 1% of unwanted livestock deaths. In states like Idaho, Montana, and
Wyoming, wolves account for just 0.21% of sheep and 0.05% of cattle losses, according to the USDA.
MYTH: Wolves have already recovered and no longer need Endangered Species Act protections.
FACT: Wolves are functionally extinct in 80% of their historic range. Outdated recovery goals set in the 1970s fail
to reflect modern science, climate impacts, and ongoing hunts. Even former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director
Dan Ashe, who once oversaw delisting, has warned that current state hunts are “erasing progress made to conserve
this species.”
MYTH: Wolf hunt quotas are based on sound science.
FACT: Many states are ignoring the advice of their own biologists. Laws in places like Idaho and Montana allow year-
round hunts that threaten population stability, putting short-term politics over long-term conservation.
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