The attacks on endangered wildlife are piling up. Here’s what’s at stake in 90 seconds.
This year, the Trump administration has dismantled the Endangered Species Act. First it removed the longstanding definition of “harm” that covered habitat destruction that kills or injures wildlife. It ended automatic protections for newly listed threatened species. And new directives could let foreseeable deaths from logging, development and other activities escape crucial limits and conservation requirements.
An endangered whale struck by a ship. Endangered bats killed when their roosting trees are cut down. These deaths may no longer be considered illegal under the Act simply because the actions weren’t intentionally directed at the animals.
Earlier this year, the administration’s “Extinction Committee” also granted oil and gas operations an unprecedented exemption from the Act’s requirements, putting endangered whales, sea turtles and other wildlife at greater risk.
And now, a proposed d...
Suggested Credits
Tags, Events, and Projects