WOLF CAPTURED AFTER ESCAPING ENCLOSURE AT ZOO IN WESTERN TOKYO, VISITORS FLEE TO SAFETY

December 28th, Japan: A zoo in western Tokyo was forced to close for much of Dec 28 after a wolf escaped from its enclosure, though the facility operator confirmed it had been recaptured inside the park later in the day.

MONTANA JUDGE ALLOWS 2025-26 WOLF HUNTING AND TRAPPING REGULATIONS TO STAND WHILE LAWSUIT PROCEEDS

December 27th, Montana: A Montana judge is allowing the wolf hunting and trapping regulations the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted earlier this year to stand, saying it's doubtful hunters and trappers will meet the record-high quota of 458 wolves this season.

U.S. HOUSE PASSES LEGISLATION TO DELIST GRAY WOLF

December 26th: The House of Representatives passed, in a bipartisan fashion, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act (H.R. 845).

5,000-YEAR-OLD WOLVES FOUND ON REMOTE ISLAND CHALLENGE CONVENTIONAL VIEWS OF DOMESTICATION

December 23rd: Ancient wolves found on a human-occupied Baltic island reveal unexpected and complex forms of prehistoric human-animal interaction.

JUDGE: MONTANA WOLF HUNTING AND TRAPPING SEASON QUOTA CAN CONTINUE

December 22nd, Montana: Conservation groups had sought to stop the season, saying FWP’s 458-wolf quota is too high.

FORMER WISCONSIN CONSERVATION WARDEN FINED IN 2023 WOLF KILLING

December 18th, Wisconsin: Pat Quaintance reported in December 2023 that he had shot a collared wolf at his northern Wisconsin home.

HOUSE TO VOTE ON DELISTING GRAY WOLVES FROM ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

December 16th: The House of Representatives is expected to vote on ending gray wolf protections on Thursday.

COLORADO WOLF FROM PROBLEMATIC PACK RELEASED IN GRAND COUNTY AFTER BEING CAPTURED IN NEW MEXICO

December 12st, Colorado: This is the first time a Colorado wolf has been retrieved and returned from another state; however, this is the second time this wolf has been captured and released.

UTRECHT LIFTS FOREST WARNING AFTER DNA CONFIRMS WOLF SHOT WAS THE MENACE KNOWN AS BRAM

December 12th, Netherlands: Authorities have lifted a warning to stay out of forests near Utrecht, Netherlands, after DNA tests confirmed a wolf shot last week was an animal that had been menacing visitors

CHOOSING COEXISTENCE OVER CONFLICT: HOW SOME CALIFORNIA RANCHERS ARE ADAPTING TO WOLVES

December 11th, California: A lone gray wolf (Canis lupus) named OR-7 — then a 2 ½-year-old male — created history when he crossed over the state line from Oregon into California in 2011, becoming the first wolf to set foot in the state after nearly a century.

RESEARCHERS CONFIRM RARE WILD GRAY WOLF IN UPSTATE NEW YORK

December 10th, New York: Years of DNA testing of an animal shot by a hunter in Cherry Valley, Otsego County, has revealed the first documented case in decades of a wild gray wolf roaming in New York, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation and New York State Museum researchers.

COLORADO LEGISLATORS REVIEW WOLF PROGRAM AS FUNDING CHALLENGES PERSIST

December 10th, Colorado: Wolves took center stage during a Tuesday review by Colorado legislators of the budget proposal from the Department of Natural Resources, which includes the division that manages the reintroduction program.

MEXICAN WOLF MANAGEMENT NEEDS TRANSPARENCY IN METHODS AND DATA TO SUPPORT POLICY DECISIONS

December 9th: Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi), an endangered subspecies of grey wolves, were extirpated in the Southwest United States by the 1970s.

THIRD REINTRODUCTION OF WOLVES MOVING FORWARD DESPITE NEW FEDERAL LIMITS, CITIZEN PETITION

December 3rd: The release in Grand and Summit counties was the first step in a major conservation initiative to establish a resident wolf population, bringing wolves back to their historical range from northern Canada to the southwest.

MEXICAN GRAY WOLF FACES NEW CHALLENGES IN GILA WILDERNESS

December 3rd, New Mexico: The Mexican gray wolf has roamed parts of the Southwest for thousands of years.

LAWSUIT LAUNCHED TO REQUIRE NATIONAL GRAY WOLF RECOVERY PLAN

December 2nd, Washington: The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice today of its intent to sue the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for refusing to develop a national gray wolf recovery plan under the Endangered Species Act.

GRAY WOLVES CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGHOUT STATE

December 1st, Colorado: CPW clarifies how watersheds are shown in the Gray Wolf Activity Map

NGO CALL ON MEMBER STATES TO NOT LOWER THE PROTECTION STATUS OF THE WOLF

December 1st: In December 2024, the European Union’s Habitats Directive was officially amended: the wolf went from “strictly protected” to “protected” status.