Wolves don’t know where Yellowstone National Park ends. Once they step outside its borders, they can be legally shot. This season, hunters have already killed 17 of the 22 wolves allowed in Wyoming’s trophy hunting zone just south of the park. In most of the rest of Wyoming, there is no limit at all.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior can change this. They should drop their court appeal and give Western wolves a fresh, honest review for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Here’s how wolves got here. In 2011, Congress used a rider on a budget bill to remove wolves in Montana and Idaho from the endangered species list. States have run wolf hunts ever since. In 2024, USFWS decided wolves across the West did not need federal protection. A federal judge later found that decision “arbitrary and capricious,” according to the district court’s 2025 ruling. Rather than take another look, the federal government, three states and hunting groups appealed. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard the case this week and has not said when it will rule.

The warning signs are growing. Montana’s newest estimate counts roughly 34% fewer wolves than before. Idaho does not share up-to-date hunt numbers with the public. Conservation attorneys told the court that smaller populations mean more uncertainty about whether wolves can recover.

USFWS and the Interior Department should withdraw the appeal, complete a new review using the latest population science, and work with Montana, Idaho and Wyoming to limit hunting along Yellowstone’s borders while that review happens.

Wolves shouldn’t lose their future while lawyers argue. Sign the petition to restore protections for Western wolves before this hunting season takes more of them.