A coalition of animal welfare groups filed a formal petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to re-list the gray wolf as an endangered species, according to a Western Watersheds Project post. 

The petition cites "inadequate regulatory mechanisms" in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and "a lack of minimum viable populations of wolves in all other western states" as reasons to re-list the animal, according to the post. 

The petition comes after new laws were passed in Idaho and Montana to reduce wolf populations. According to U.S. News, Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a measure into law in May that could lead to the killing of 90% of the state's 1,500 wolves through trapping and hunting. 

"Wolves remain completely absent from suitable habitats or perilously close to extinction in many western states, and the handful of states surrounding Yellowstone National Park are now driving the larger populations toward extinction — endangered species listing — by ramping up wolf killing and stripping away hunting and trapping regulations in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming," said Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist and executive director of Western Watersheds Project. "This petition gives Secretary Haaland and Interim Director Williams a legal and scientific blueprint for restoring federal protections and counteracting the irresponsible state policies in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming." 

The petition noted wolves in the Western United States face several threats, including unregulated hunting, poaching and genetic issues. 

It also calls upon the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect wolves in the West as a distinct population segment. 

“The American West has vast tracts of public lands that offer ideal habitat for gray wolves,” said Molvar. “In order to return the wolf and restore the balance of nature, it is necessary to apply federal protections that supersede anti-wolf state politics that push wolf populations toward extinction rather than recovery.”