Apex Protection Project

10/20/2026

BREAKING—A new analysis released today by the Center for Biological Diversity reveals that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program killed 324 gray wolves and 375,616 native animals during fiscal year 2025.

The findings also highlight the accidental shooting of two endangered gray wolves in southern Oregon, including a radio-collared male dispersing from California.

According to the conservation organization’s analysis, federal agents also killed 61,266 coyotes, 391 black bears and 164 mountain lions.

The report raises renewed concerns about federally funded lethal wildlife management, particularly as the Trump administration has reversed restrictions on the use of M-44 cyanide devices on certain federal public lands.

Wildlife Services reported killing 202 animals with M-44 cyanide devices in 2025, compared with 4,664 in 2024—a roughly 96% reduction. These figures concern animals killed by M-44 devices, not the 324 wolves killed through the program overall.

The newly highlighted wolf mortality figures raise questions about the federal government’s reliance on lethal predator control while gray wolf recovery and endangered-species protections remain under legal and political scrutiny.

The underlying USDA statistics were published September 30, 2026. Today’s development is the conservation organization’s new analysis, not a newly authorized wolf-killing operation. The USDA maintains that Wildlife Services uses both lethal and nonlethal methods to address wildlife conflicts.

Learn more and join the pack at TeamWolf.org.
Image of Kona courtesy of Philip Folsom

10/19/2026

🚨ACTION ALERT!🚨 The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife opened a public comment period today on proposed changes to regulations governing the killing of gray wolves during attacks on domestic animals.

The proposal would clarify who can legally kill a wolf without a permit in areas where wolves lack federal Endangered Species Act protections.

Key proposed changes include:
• Replacing the ambiguous term “agent” with “documented representative” to clarify who may kill a wolf.
• Requiring clearer documentation of individuals authorized to act on behalf of livestock owners.
• Clarifying that a wolf may be killed only while an attack is occurring.
• Excluding livestock owners or representatives who negligently attract wolves by leaving sick, injured or dead domestic animals in grazing areas.

The regulations could affect how wolves are protected from unlawful killing in eastern Washington. The proposed changes may strengthen accountability and encourage preventative livestock management, but their effectiveness will depend on the final language and enforcement.

Public comments opened October 19 at noon and close November 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. No final rule has been adopted.

Take action: Submit comments through the official Washington wolf management public comment portal⁠.

10/19/2026

It’s !

This Wolf Awareness Week comes at a critical time for wolves in the lower 48 this year. Today is Day 2 of Wolf Awareness Week, and across the Northern Rockies, the killing of wolves continues.

Montana’s 2026 wolf hunting season began September 15 and extends into March 2027. Under current regulations, hunters can kill multiple wolves, with limits reaching ten in most regions.

Wolves live in complex family groups. Removing a breeding wolf can disrupt reproduction, pack cohesion, and the survival of dependent pups. Even wolves living in Yellowstone National Park can be killed when they travel beyond its boundaries into areas where hunting is legal.

Wolf Awareness Week is about recognizing that wolves are more than population statistics. They are families, and their lives matter beyond the boundaries humans draw on maps.

Visit TeamWolf.org to join the pack.

10/18/2026

10/18/2026

🚨COLORADO! Amendment 83 is an unnecessary constitutional amendment pushed by out-of-state special interests that could limit Colorado voters’ ability to shape future wildlife policy.

Hunting and fishing are already legal and protected in Colorado, yet this measure would give them special constitutional status over all other public lands users, making it harder for voters, local communities, lawmakers, and wildlife experts to have a voice.

Far-right special interests are trying to pass this unnecessary amendment when hunting and fishing are already legal in Colorado. This amendment is part of a national campaign backed by wealthy, out-of-state groups that have pushed nearly identical measures in states across the country.

This measure imports one-size-fits-all constitutional language developed outside the state, rather than addressing the needs of Coloradans. Colorado’s wildlife policies should be shaped by Colorado voters, elected officials, wildlife experts, and local communities, not outside special interests.

Take action and learn more at keepcoloradosvoice.com. 🐺

10/17/2026

Sometimes you just need a moment to process.😮‍💨

Happy Saturday from Mr. Brody and the Apex Rescue Pack!
Want to get involved? Virtually adopt Brody or any of our pack members and support Apex Protection Project by:
🐺 clicking the link in our bio
🐺 www.apexprotectionproject.org
🐺 donate through our Venmo or PayPal
🐺 share this post and tag a fellow wolf lover




10/16/2026

What do you think? Rate this howl from 🫠 to 🤩.

Virtually adopt Vesper, James, or any of our pack members and support Apex Protection Project by:
🐺 clicking the link in our bio
🐺 www.apexprotectionproject.org
🐺 donate through our Venmo or PayPal
🐺 share this post and tag a fellow wolf lover

10/16/2026

On Monday, USDA sent letters to 13 governors asking them to strip wolves from their states' protected lists and to keep killing wolves "where appropriate." The letter leaned on numbers that fall apart the second you read the fine print.

This isn't a one-off. It follows the Supporting America's Ranchers executive order, which gives Interior Secretary Burgum until December 3 to decide whether Gray Wolves and Mexican Wolves lose their federal protection. The House has already passed a bill to strip Gray Wolves of protections nationwide and is considering a bill to do the same with Mexican Gray Wolves. USDA is now working the states from the other end, so that if and when federal protections come off, wolves are on offer.

Ranchers deserve real support: fair, fast payment for confirmed losses and real funding for the fences, range riders and other tools that keep wolves and livestock apart. What they're getting instead is a distraction.

Tell Congress to keep Gray Wolves and Mexican Wolves federally protected. Act now at the link below in the comments! It takes two minutes.

10/14/2026

MISSOULA, Montana — The future of federal protections for gray wolves is once again being decided in court.

On October 13, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in three cases challenging how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service applies the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to gray wolves and critically endangered Mexican gray wolves.

At the center of the dispute is a fundamental question: Can wolves be considered recovered when they remain absent from much of their historic range?

The federal government argues that established wolf populations in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies demonstrate sufficient recovery to justify removing protections.

Conservation organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice and Western Watersheds Project, argue that this interpretation ignores the importance of restoring wolves to suitable habitat in states like California, Colorado and Washington.

Attorneys also challenged the agency’s reliance on state wildlife-management policies, particularly in Montana and Idaho, where aggressive hunting and trapping regulations have raised serious concerns about wolf conservation.

The survival of wolves in a handful of states does not mean the species has recovered across the American landscape.

The Endangered Species Act was established to prevent extinction and support recovery, not simply to maintain isolated populations while abandoning suitable habitat elsewhere.

The court has not yet issued its decisions. Its rulings could have far-reaching consequences for gray wolf recovery and federal wildlife protections nationwide.

Wolves deserve recovery, not just survival.

10/13/2026

A slow morning with Vesper & James - the Queen and King of sleeping in.☺️☀️

Virtually adopt Vesper, James, or any of our pack members and support Apex Protection Project by:
🐺 clicking the link in our bio
🐺 www.apexprotectionproject.org
🐺 donate through our Venmo or PayPal
🐺 share this post and tag a fellow wolf lover