Mexican gray wolves are the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America, with just 286 known to live in the wild in the United States. Yet despite their tenuous status, Republican members of Congress are leading an all-out attack on the species. H.R. 4255, misleadingly named the “Enhancing Safety for Animals Act” and introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ), is scheduled for a markup in the House Natural Resources Committee on January 22. The bill seeks to prematurely remove Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for Mexican gray wolves and would push them closer to extinction.

If your Representative is a member of the Natural Resources Committee (view list), urge them to OPPOSE this damaging bill.

If your Representative is not a member of the Natural Resources Committee, consider sending them a note to let them know how much you value Mexican wolves.

Protections Are Key to Wild Future

Mexican gray wolves were hunted to the brink of extinction and were declared extinct in the wild in the U.S. by the 1980s. Thanks to the ESA, the species has made significant advances in the U.S. but they still face challenges from limited genetic diversity, illegal killing, and lack of connected populations.

The impacts of a premature delisting, or removal from the endangered species list, would be devastating. There would be no federal monitoring, no captive to wild releases of genetically valuable Mexican wolves, no federal ban on killing wolves, and no compensation for livestock losses. Federal protections don’t just support Mexican wolves; they support the communities that share the landscape with this native species.