The Trump administration's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a directive that significantly expands the rollback of endangered species protections, allowing individuals and industries to kill endangered animals during logging projects, developments, and other activities without legal repercussions, as long as the activity's purpose isn't specifically to kill the species. The memo, issued by Director Brian Nesvik, states that direct killing of endangered animals does not constitute an illegal 'take' under the Endangered Species Act if the action wasn't 'intentionally directed at a particular animal or animals.' This interpretation relies heavily on a dissenting opinion by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia from a 1995 case. Wildlife advocates and experts warn that this directive would render the Endangered Species Act largely ineffective, as it removes safeguards that require environmental reviews and permits for projects impacting endangered species. The memo has raised alarms among conservation groups, who argue it creates a 'blank check' for developers, loggers, and others to destroy habitats and kill endangered species without consequences. The directive also suggests that even accidental harm, such as a vessel striking a whale or felling a tree with bats roosting in it, would not be considered illegal 'take.' Conservation organizations have already filed lawsuits challenging previous rollbacks of the Endangered Species Act, and this new memo is expected to become a new battleground in ongoing legal challenges. The memo, sent to agency staff last Monday, was leaked to the public, causing immediate outrage. While some industry groups supported the initial rule change excluding habitat destruction from the definition of 'harm,' few have publicly commented on the new memo. The memo's implications include potentially eliminating environmental reviews for projects in endangered species habitats, such as road construction in Florida panther territory, where increased vehicle collisions would no longer be considered 'take.' Experts warn that state wildlife agencies lack the authority, resources, and expertise to replace federal oversight, making the new directive particularly concerning for conservation efforts. The memo has been criticized as 'ridiculously extreme' by former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff and as 'an incredibly sneaky and disingenuous way of going about things' by legal advocates. The administration's approach has been described as reducing the scope of endangered species protections to an 'absurdly narrow interpretation' inconsistent with congressional intent. The memo's immediate implementation has raised concerns about the potential for widespread harm to endangered species without legal accountability.

A Danish MP has rejected proposals to create no-go zones around wolf breeding sites, saying people should not be barred from areas where wolves raise their young, DR reports. Kim Edberg Andersen, the Danish Democrats’ animal welfare spokesperson, was responding to calls from several organisations…

Several Danish parties have criticised Nature and Animal Welfare Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen after he upheld plans to eradicate sika deer in Denmark despite a new genetic study, DR reports. The study of Danish sika deer and red deer concluded that the two species are not interbreeding in De…

An animal rehabilitation centre on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore is looking forward to the opportunity to rehabilitate orphaned black bear cubs as the Department of Natural Resources readies to issue re...

Oregon wildlife officials released the latest details in the state’s annual wolf report.