{"id":15283,"date":"2026-06-24T15:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T15:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15283"},"modified":"2026-06-24T15:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T15:00:39","slug":"what-wildlife-needs-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15283","title":{"rendered":"What Wildlife Needs Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>Efforts to protect endangered and threatened species are more important than ever <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\"> (Photo: Brian Skerry)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published June 24, 2026 07:56AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Red Wolves are a uniquely American species. They live in the southeastern United States and are found nowhere else on Earth. They\u2019re also a uniquely American story. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/defenders.org\/wildlife\/red-wolf\">Red Wolves<\/a> were declared extinct in the wild in 1980, but thanks to the Endangered Species Act and an unprecedented reintroduction program, their population is slowly growing.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2744555\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Defenders of Wildlife\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2744555\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.png?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.png?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Red Wolf pups<\/span> (Photo: John Pitcher)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But the end of the story is not yet clear. Today, only an estimated 26 adult Red Wolves inhabit the landscape, and this fragile population, like the laws that support it, is under threat. The Trump administration is rapidly moving to implement sweeping rollbacks to some of our country\u2019s bedrock wildlife regulations that would degrade habitat on public lands, undermine decades of recovery efforts, and accelerate the extinction crisis we face today.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s especially surprising about these attacks on wildlife is that the American public has not asked for them. It\u2019s easy to point out the divisions in the United States today, but all the talk about polarization misses an essential truth: We agree on some things. Saving wildlife is one of them. The Endangered Species Act, for example, is both effective and popular: A whopping 84% of Americans support it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2744560\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Defenders of Wildlife\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2744560\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7.png?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7.png?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">Brown Bear (Photo: Eric Johnston)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The landmark legislation, which was passed in 1973, has a remarkable track record of success. In fact, the ESA is 99% effective. Nearly all species listed as endangered or threatened, including the bald eagle, blue whale, and peregrine falcon, have been saved from extinction. Hundreds more are on the path to recovery today. Despite this, the Trump administration is blatantly making interlocking decisions with dire implications for wildlife, habitats, and our shared American conservation values.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 [&quot;list&quot;,{},&quot;list_item&quot;,{&quot;indent&quot;:2,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;bulleted&quot;}]\">One of the most dangerous changes on the table is rescinding the Endangered Species Act\u2019s regulatory definition of \u201charm.\u201d This would eliminate the protections given to listed species from habitat destruction or modification, a leading cause of species loss today. This puts at risk and essentially gives a greenlight to develop, plow and pave\u00a0the waterways, forests, deserts, prairies, and marshes that are home to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/defenders.org\/blog\/2025\/06\/harm-of-not-protecting-species-home\">iconic animals<\/a> like the Florida manatee, North American wolverine, whooping crane, and many others. Additional proposed changes call for \u201csunsetting\u201d all ESA regulations, weakening the ability to list species and protect them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"slideshow\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col items-center justify-center py-base-loose\">\n<div class=\"relative flex w-full flex-col items-start\">\n<div class=\"relative w-full touch-pan-y pb-base-tight select-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"block h-auto w-full object-cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3.png\" alt=\"Defenders of Wildlife\" draggable=\"false\"\/><\/div>\n<p class=\"min-h-[48px]\"><span class=\"text-left font-utility-3 text-secondary\">Bald Eagle<\/span><span class=\"ml-1 text-left font-utility-3 text-text-disabled\">Carry Case\/USFS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Imagine a world without wolves howling across the hills, grizzly bears grazing on berries and catching salmon, or sea turtles hatching along our sandy shores. Our wildlife is a source of wonder, pride, and unity. They are among the few national treasures that still bring Americans together.<\/p>\n<p>We cannot wait until our habitats are destroyed, our species are teetering on the brink of extinction, and our natural world is no longer recognizable to say we should have acted sooner. We must speak out for our irreplaceable wildlife, because they cannot. Since 1947, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/defenders.org\/\">Defenders of Wildlife<\/a> has been doing just that: advocating for species big and small and working tirelessly on programs that protect them and their habitats. Learn how you can lend <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/defenders.org\/support-our-work\">your voice<\/a> to the effort.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><i>For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America\u2019s wildlife at risk of extinction. With a network of 2.1 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife for generations to come. Learn more at <\/i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"http:\/\/defenders.org\"><i>defenders.org<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/what-wildlife-needs-now\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Efforts to protect endangered and threatened species are more important than ever (Photo: Brian Skerry) Published June 24, 2026 07:56AM Red Wolves are a uniquely American species. They live in the southeastern United States and are found nowhere else on Earth. They\u2019re also a uniquely American story. Red Wolves were declared extinct in the wild<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15283"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15283\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}