Congress should pass U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025, which would remove the gray wolf from the federal Endangered Species Act.

This bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Tom Tiffany and Colorado’s Republican delegation — Reps. Jeff Crank, Gabe Evans, and Jeff Hurd — addresses a critical imbalance: protecting a thriving species at the expense of Colorado’s endangered farmers and ranchers. The gray wolf’s recovery is a success story, and delisting it federally is a step toward prioritizing human livelihoods while maintaining state-level management.

The gray wolf, listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1978 when fewer than 1,000 roamed the lower 48 states, has rebounded impressively. By 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated more than 6,000 wolves across the Rocky Mountains and western Great Lakes, with 2,800 in the northern Rockies alone as of 2023, based on data from the Wolf Conservation Center.

In states where the federal wolf listing does not apply — Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming — wolf populations flourish at about 1,200, 1,100, and 500, respectively. In Colorado, state endangered status ensures continued oversight. Keeping wolves on the federal Endangered Species Act undermines the act’s credibility, diverting resources from species genuinely in peril.

Colorado’s wolf reintroduction, approved by urban voters in 2020, established another needless hardship for rural communities. Since December 2021, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has recorded 30 confirmed wolf predation incidents, with ranchers reporting $580,000 in livestock losses in a single year.

In Grand County, CPW settled claims for $350,000 after wolf attacks on cattle. Beyond direct losses, wolves cause secondary damage: stressed herds, reduced fertility and broken fences as cattle flee. A 2024 incident in Elbert County saw a Great Lakes wolf caught in a trap, highlighting risks to pets and livestock even outside reintroduction zones.

Ranchers, like those represented by the Colorado Wool Growers Association, face relentless pressure, unable to fully protect their livelihoods due to federal restrictions.

“If you spare the wolf, you sacrifice the sheep. Sparing the wolf is shallow, not deep, empathy,” wrote Elon Musk on X on Sunday. His post was a metaphorical comment on all varieties of misplaced empathy — such as light sentences for violent criminals — but perfectly applies to Colorado’s ill-conceived wolf policies.

Boebert’s bill, which passed the House Natural Resources Committee in April, reinstates a 2020 Trump-era rule delisting wolves, shielding it from judicial overreach by activist judges, like the California court that relisted wolves in 2022.

Supported by groups like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Colorado Farm Bureau, the bill empowers states to manage wolves flexibly, as Idaho and Montana do through regulated hunting.

Colorado’s Wolf Restoration and Management Plan would remain intact, preserving local protections while freeing ranchers from federal red tape. This aligns with bipartisan precedent: the Obama administration delisted wolves in 2009, and even Biden’s team appealed to restore the 2020 rule.

Delisting won’t undo Colorado’s reintroduction — a voter-driven misstep — but it’s a move in the right direction. It signals trust in state wildlife agencies, which manage thousands of species effectively, and prioritizes farmers feeding Americans over coddling a recovered predator.

The Endangered Species Act’s purpose is to save endangered species, not to perpetuate outdated listings that harm rural communities. Boebert’s bill restores balance and state control, ensuring the Endangered Species Act remains a tool for conservation and not a weapon against Colorado’s agricultural heartland. Let’s pass it and get our priorities straight.

The Gazette Editorial Board