What really is it then?

The federal Fish and Wildlife Service declared the western Great Lakes gray wolf off the endangered species list. Under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, the wolf grew in population to 4,000 in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. This comes as a major increase from the several hundred in 1974. The good news, however, was stop short when two evolutionary biologists, Jennifer A. Leonard and Robert K. Wayne did studies showing that many of these gray wolves are in fact hybrids from coyotes and wolfs from Canada. Habitat destructions, as well as the protection of various wolves in one habitat, have created conditions for the hybrid animals. The wolf population today is made up largely of hybrids between the gray wolf and coyote. 31 percent of the animals carry genetic material from the native wolf appears to no longer exist in pure form. Still, the controversy rises over if the hybridizing of the animals will threaten the native wolf and completely wipe the pure form of the Great lake gray wolf forever.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA), was passed by the Congress and signed into law in 1973 to protect threatened or endangered wildlife species and their habitats. A plant or animal is categorized as endangered if it is in danger of extinction. The ESA gives the U.S. government the power to identify and classify species as threatened or endangered, as well as to enforce laws that prohibit harming or possessing such wildlife. It also oversees population recovery programs for listed species, and to protect or establish safe habitats for these plants and animals. Two federal agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, are responsible for carrying out and enforce most of these duties.

The U.S. government’s interest in preserving species in danger of extinction can be traced back to the 19th century. In an effort to stop the mass destruction of the nation's bison population, Congress passed the Buffalo Protection Act in 1875 to protect the few remaining bison. However, President Ulysses S. Grant vetoed the act. For nearly a century thereafter no legislation that directly addressed the issue of endangered species was signed into law.