The Trump administration has claimed that the United States Endangered Species List should go extinct, citing the “Hotel California” method, in which once a species enters, it never leaves. Following Colossal Biosciences’ announcement earlier this week that it has successfully produced three dire wolf pups, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum offered his thoughts on bringing other extinct animals back to life and is reevaluating the list of endangered species.
Trump Administration Sparks Outrage with new proposal that aims to end the endangered species list
On Monday, April 7, the former governor of North Dakota praised the gene-editing technology’s work on X. The Department of the Interior is optimistic about the possibility of ‘de-extinction’ technology, which might improve biodiversity protection and help endangered or at-risk species in addition to species recovery. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 lists more than 1,300 species in the United States as endangered or at risk of going extinct, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Burgum wants to celebrate the removal of animals from the list using genetic engineering technology, saying that the current system is more concerned with control than innovation. He likened the list to Hotel California, saying that once a species enters, it never leaves.
Burgum stressed the importance of preventing endangered species from going extinct and the need for continued recovery efforts. He suggested that “de-extinction” technology could ensure a future where populations are never threatened. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is responsible for recovering and protecting our nation’s endangered species, classifies species into five groups: threatened, endangered, essential experimental population, non-essential experimental population, endangered based on similarity to an existing listed species, and threatened based on similarity to an existing listed species.
Among the species listed as endangered are the polar bear, the black rhinoceros, the lemur, the sea otter, the cheetah, the blue whale, and several others. Likewise, Burgum went on to say in his essay that discoveries like this could encourage researchers to push the boundaries of what’s feasible. The post ended by saying that the Department of the Interior is looking forward to a dynamic future full of innovation that advances fundamental missions like wildlife protection. Scientists utilized DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull to create healthy dire wolf offspring, according to Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal.
The fight to protect endangered species in Arizona
Arizona is home to 71 threatened and endangered species, where the leading cause of animal extinction is habitat loss, according to the Phoenix Zoo. Habitat loss is exacerbated by extreme drought and climate change, says Tara Harris, director of conservation and science at the Phoenix Zoo. Â Non-native diseases and invasive species, which either compete with or possibly consume some of Arizona’s natural species, are additional factors driving animals from their homes. Here are two famous Arizona animals’ stories that you should be aware of:
Black-footed ferrets
Numerous small, four-legged companions can be seen playing under a close watch in a calm and isolated area of the Phoenix Zoo. The zoo’s 15 species, including the well-known (and adorable) black-footed ferret, are listed as endangered or vulnerable in Arizona. Harris and other scientists at the Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Conservation Center work to return native species into Arizona’s natural environments. The zoo has been actively involved in ferret conservation since the early 1990s, and its work with black-footed ferrets has yielded impressive results.
In the late 1980s, researchers collected a group of black-footed ferrets in the wild, with seven passing on their DNA in the breeding program. Today, all black-footed ferrets in the wild and the Phoenix Zoo are descendants of these seven individuals. Phoenix Zoo is among six institutions raising black-footed ferrets for reintroduction into their natural prairie habitat, with over 600 kits born and many released into the wild.
Mexican gray wolves
The Mexican gray wolf, one of North America’s most endangered terrestrial mammals, is residing in a desert sanctuary in north Scottsdale. Because ranchers were worried that the wolves would kill their cattle, the Mexican gray, which had been endangered since 1976, began to lose population when the livestock industry arrived in the United States. The Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center near Scottsdale serves as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge and wolf holding facility to aid in recovery efforts. According to senior education specialist Robyn Moul, there are currently 286 left in the wild from Arizona to New Mexico.
