Why did gray wolves disappear from much of the United States and Europe?

The disappearance of gray wolves from much of the United States and Europe was primarily driven by human persecution. Over recent centuries, the gray wolf has been widely perceived as an evil creature, a potential danger to humans, a competitor for game animals, and, most significantly, a threat to livestock.12

This perceived threat to livestock served as the primary justification for systematic eradication efforts. In the United States, wolves were targeted using every available method—including hunting, trapping, and poisoning—during the 19th and early 20th centuries. By 1950, these efforts had reduced the wolf population in the contiguous United States to a small area in northeastern Minnesota. Similar patterns of persecution occurred across Europe, where the species was largely eliminated from its original range.123

It is a fundamental ethical principle that we must coexist with wildlife rather than pursue the eradication of species based on fear or economic competition. Fortunately, increased tolerance and legal protections in the late 20th and early 21st centuries have allowed wolf populations to begin recovering in parts of their former range.12