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Florida Panther
WASHINGTON, D.C.

In a Gift to Industry, The Trump Administration Eliminates Protections for Threatened Species and Essential Habitat

In a devastating blow to wildlife, the Trump administration today finalized rollbacks of two regulations implementing the Endangered Species Act that will hamstring the protection and recovery of endangered and threatened species.
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Diseases that spread in shared spaces can have massive impacts on mammal species and have the potential to kill entire litters of wolf pups.
Raleigh, N.C.

More Red Wolf Pups Shows Promising Growth for Critically Endangered Canid

The Red Wolf Recovery Program in North Carolina confirmed the birth of four wild litters of Red Wolf pups in eastern North Carolina, home to the only population of wild Red Wolves in the world.
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Two North Atlantic right whales swimming alongside one another in the ocean
Washington, DC

Defenders Calls Foul on Latest Bill Seeking to Delay Protections for the Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale

Defenders of Wildlife condemns HR 9436, which would delay right whale protections until 2035, as entanglements push the species toward extinction.

Press Releases

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Red wolf in Alligator River NWR
Raleigh, NC

Court Sides with World’s Most Endangered Wolf

Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must resume releasing captive Red Wolves into the wild, a major victory for the species. The case, filed on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife, Red Wolf Coalition and Animal Welfare Institute by the Southern Environmental Law Center, will help bolster the wild population which resides in the Red Wolf Recovery Area in Eastern North Carolina.
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Shortfin mako shark
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Petitions to Protect Imperiled Shortfin Mako Shark

Defenders of Wildlife today petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect the shortfin mako shark under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The species has declined dramatically across the world’s oceans because of overfishing and fisheries bycatch. The shortfin mako is the fastest-swimming shark on record.
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Right Whale
Wassaw Island, GA

Thirteenth Critically Endangered Right Whale Calf of the Season Spotted Near Georgia

Yesterday, NOAA Fisheries announced that a newborn North Atlantic right whale had been spotted near Wassaw Island, Georgia, making it the 13th calf of the 2020-2021 calving season. The newborn was accompanied by its 14-year-old mother. This calf is the mother’s first.
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Sunrise at Heartbreak Rock, Joshua Tree National Park
Washington, D.C.

Inauguration Day Brings Hope for Wildlife

President & CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark on the inauguration of Joe Biden as President of the United States.
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Royal Tern
New York

Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Gutting of Federal Protection for Migratory Birds

National environmental groups filed a lawsuit today in the Southern District of New York challenging the Trump administration’s reinterpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which eliminated longstanding, vital protections for more than 1,000 species of waterfowl, raptors and songbirds.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268
Communications Specialist
estern@defenders.org
202-772-0243