Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance

This should horrify all animal lovers: A new directive sent to US Fish and Wildlife Service employees this week means imperiled species can be legally killed in the course of development or other activities: To now be considered illegal, it would have to be proven they were intentionally targeted, rather than killed as an unintended consequence—it's like a license to kill. Just think of the implications: Killing endangered animals while logging a forest won't be illegal unless the animals were specifically targeted under this changed interpretation of the Endangered Species Act by the Trump administration. It's a seismic change which strips even more protection from beloved animal species in the US—the ones which need our safeguarding most urgently. It's a grim turnaround from past practice at the wildlife service, which up to now held people legally liable for harming protected species—such as denning polar bears, manatees, Rice's whales, North Atlantic right whales, sea turtles or endangered owls—even when the harm was an unintended consequence of their activities. So now there's no disincentive to harm—they can do what they like without a care and with impunity. If you're on the fence, think about these extremely vulnerable animals when you vote in November—remember these are species already at risk of extinction. Political leaders come and go, but extinction is forever. 1/2