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gray wolf walking with paw raised and looking at camera
Olympia, WA

Washington State 2025 Wolf Count Increases, Depredations Decrease

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife today released the state’s 2025 minimum count for gray wolves at 270 individuals, a 17% increase from 2024
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gray wolf
Salem, OR

Oregon Releases 2025 Annual Wolf Count, Numbers Up

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today issued its 2025 gray wolf annual report, announcing an increase in the wolf population for a new
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Offshore Oil Rig
Washington D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Challenges Unprecedented “God Squad” Exemption Allowing Unchecked Gulf Oil Drilling

Defenders of Wildlife today announced it is taking legal action to overturn an unprecedented and unlawful decision by the Endangered Species Committee, known as the “God Squad,” to exempt federal authorizations of oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico through a blanket exemption from the Endangered Species Act’s protections.

Press Releases

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Florida panther
New York, NY

Nature's Brokers: Scientists Show Pumas Maintain Relationships with Nearly 500 Living Species, Holding America’s Ecosystems Together

Pumas maintain relationships with an astounding 485 living species and play a critical role in holding ecosystems together throughout the Western Hemisphere, according to a new study entitled Pumas as ecological brokers: a review of their biotic relationships from Defenders of Wildlife and Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, published today in Mammal Review.
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Yellowstone bison released at Ft. Peck Reservation
Wolf Point, Mont.

28 Bison Transferred from Yellowstone to Fort Peck

Twenty-eight Yellowstone bison were released today at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, marking the sixth successful transfer from Yellowstone National Park to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck since 2019.
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Horseshoe Crabs
Charleston, SC

Defenders of Wildlife and Conservation Groups Sue Regulators, Pharmaceutical Company Over Crab Pens

South Carolina's natural resources agency and pharmaceutical giant Charles River Laboratories are facing a federal lawsuit for violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing harvesters to keep horseshoe crabs captive in manmade ponds, a practice only South Carolina permits.
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gray wolf howling in lamar valley
SEATTLE, Wash.

Collared Wolf Crosses Interstate-90 in Washington for First Time Ever

For the first time ever, a collaRed Wolf in Washington state successfully crossed interstate-90 into the South Cascades mountains according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
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Black mountains in the western mojave desert
Washington, DC

New Study Outlines Ways to Conserve 30 Percent of Nation’s Lands and Waters by 2030

A new study by Defenders of Wildlife’s Center for Conservation Innovation, “Identifying key federal, state and private lands strategies for achieving 30X30 in the US” was published this week in the leading scientific journal Conservation Letters.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268