Bennett, A. (2018, November 5). Federal government violated Endangered Species Act by

ending red wolf protections, judge rules. Retrieved November 18, 2018, from https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article221163830.html

 

Recently, it was decided in court that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was violated by the federal government when they removed protections for the North Carolina Red Wolf. The status of the animal, currently, is “critically endangered.” The Fish and Wildlife Service has been working to preserve the species since 1986, and had significant success in breathing life into a struggling total population of about 40 wolves. However, many conservationists have accused the USFWS of “abandoning” their responsibility to protect these animals, and some say the killing of them has gone unpunished. A recent legislative attempt to remove protections was blocked by a judge, and the red wolf remains on the endangered species list.

 

In the case of the red wolf, there were many conservationist groups fighting for its protection. Additionally, the judicial systems prevented its official abandonment by the government. However, this apparent indifference to the status of the species is worrying. The Fish and Wildlife Service is the sole agency responsible for species protection in the United States. Catching behavior such as this should only encourage more scrutiny by the public of the actions of the USFWS. Their goal of protecting species may be environmentally virtuous, but if we entrust the agency to protect all species, they need to be held responsible for achieving that goal.