Endangered Earth: We're Fighting for Fierce Wolverines

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To Save Wolverines, We're Headed to Court

One of the drivers of the wildlife extinction crisis is government inaction. Case in point: wolverines. There are fewer than 300 left in the wild in the lower 48, threatened by climate change, genetic isolation and small population size.

Yet the Trump administration — despite a court order to move quickly — still drags its feet on deciding whether to give wolverines Endangered Species Act protection. The Center for Biological Diversity and allies just notified Trump we plan to sue to force a decision on these fierce, mountain-dwelling mammals.

"Wolverines have been waiting far too long for the protection they need," said the Center's Andrea Santarsiere. "Delays are deadly. Wolverines need help right now."

Read more and consider supporting this work with a donation to our Wildlife and Wild Places Defense Fund.

We're Suing to Protect Pangolins

Pangolin

The Center and allies sued the Trump administration on Wednesday to force officials to propose Endangered Species Act protection for critically imperiled pangolins.

"These odd, adorable animals may look like pinecones with legs, but the massive trafficking in pangolin parts is no joke," said Sarah Uhlemann, the Center's international program director. "If poachers keep killing thousands of pangolins a week, they'll disappear in decades. The Trump administration needs to help protect these unique creatures from exploitation and extinction." Learn more.

Last week we launched Saving Life on Earth, our national, grassroots campaign to make the extinction crisis a key issue in the 2020 elections. Tune into our campaign kick-off call to hear from Center organizers, scientists and policy experts on how we're going to push our elected officials to take immediate action.

More than 1 million species are on track to go extinct in the coming decades. Once these species vanish, they can never return. We can stem this crisis: The time is now. Join us.

The Revelator: How a Small Utah Town Said No to Fracking

Utah

Happy endings seem few and far between, these days, but here's one for you from The Revelator: The tiny Utah town of Kanab, home to only 4,300 people, is set in a stunning red-rock landscape. When plans were announced to site a frac-sand mine and facility there, a handful of residents stood up to oppose it ... and won.

Read the piece and sign up to receive The Revelator's weekly e-newsletter.

Pascagoula map turtle and Pearl River map turtle

Suit Filed to Save Two Southern Turtles

The Center and Healthy Gulf just sued the Trump administration for failing to protect two turtles found only in Louisiana and Mississippi: the Pascagoula and Pearl River map turtles. We petitioned for both species in 2010, along with allies, but the Fish and Wildlife Service still hasn't responded. At least 47 species have gone extinct waiting for protection since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 — we won't let these turtles be next.

Read more in The Washington Post.

Hog

Center Op-ed: Trump's New Hog-slaughter Rule Is Cruel

A new rule from the Trump administration, writes the Center's Hannah Connor in the Des Moines Register, speeds up slaughterhouse lines and reduces federal inspector numbers. This will increase the pain and suffering of the animals killed — plus the number of injuries, including severe cuts and amputations, to the people working the lines. And add more wastewater pollution, too.

In December the Center, along with six animal-welfare groups, sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture over its inhumane, irresponsible decision to do away with pig-slaughter speed limits.

Read Hannah's column.

In Defense of the Veggie Burger

Veggie burger

The rise in popularity of veggie burgers has the meat industry running scared. That's to be expected — but you may be surprised to hear that some food advocates are denouncing newly famous veggie burgers with arguments similar to those of beef producers.

In a letter to the editor published in the Los Angeles Times, the Center's Lori Ann Burd explains the critical role veggie burgers can play in stopping extinction and helping stave off climate disaster.

New York Times: River Giants Are Winking Out

Yangtze River

Freshwater "megafauna" — including the likes of giant stingrays and 600-pound catfish — are some of the most astonishing animals on the planet. But even these huge, amazingly adapted creatures can't outswim extinction.

A recent New York Times piece reports that freshwater giants are quietly disappearing. Like the 23-foot Chinese paddlefish of the Yangtze River Basin: Last seen alive in 2003, it was declared officially extinct this month. Read more and get involved in our campaign to stop extinction.

Microphotograph

Wild & Weird: Micro-photography Contest Winners

In case you missed it, the 45th annual Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition winners were announced a few months ago. This year's most mesmerizing micro-world photos include an alligator embryo developing nerves, a translucent and pregnant crustacean, and a charming mosquito larva.

Check the photos out at Bored Panda.

Center for Biological Diversity | Saving Life on Earth

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Photo credits: Wolverine via Shutterstock; pangolin by Bart Wursten/Flickr; Center for Biological Diversity Engagement Manager Ash Lauth courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; land around Red Knoll near Kanab, Utah, by Tara Lohan/The Revelator; Pascagoula map turtle by Grover Brown; Pearl River map turtle courtesy USGS; hog by thexleys/Flickr; veggie burger by tiexano/Flickr; Yangtze River by Bernd Thaller/Flickr; microphotograph by macrotim/Flickr.

Center for Biological Diversity
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