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17 States File Suit to Stop Trump Administration’s Crippling of Endangered Species Act

The only thing we want to see extinct are the Trump Administration’s beastly environmental policies

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Seventeen states on Wednesday sued the President Donald Trump administration over its recent move “to eviscerate” the Endangered Species Act.

“As we face the unprecedented threat of a climate emergency, now is the time to strengthen our planet’s biodiversity, not to destroy it,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who’s leading the coalition. “The only thing we want to see extinct are the beastly policies of the Trump Administration putting our ecosystems in critical danger.”

The suit (pdf), brought by 17 states and the District of Columbia and the City of New York, was filed in the District Court for the Northern District of California. It comes a month after the administration finalized a series of rollbacks to the law—a move Mass Audubon President Gary Clayton called “another example of the Trump administration’s continuing war on the nature of America.”

As Jonathan Hahn explained at Sierra magazine last month, the new regulations, which are set to take effect Thursday,

significantly weaken the process for listing and enforcing Endangered Species Act protections and inject economic and potentially political considerations into that process where none had existed before. They will bring to an end automatic protections for threatened species, make it easier to delist species (by raising the bar for what evidence is required to show that a species is threatened or endangered), and limit the ways in which climate change can be factored into listing decisions in “the foreseeable future”—essentially removing climate change as a consideration just as the global climate crisis is accelerating.

 

According to the new lawsuit, the new rules “violate the plain language and purpose of the ESA, its legislative history, numerous binding judicial precedents interpreting the ESA, and its precautionary approach to protecting imperiled species and critical habitat.” The legal action also accuses the Trump administration of failing “to consider and disclose the significant environmental impacts of this action in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act.”

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who joins with Becerra and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh in leading the leagal action, wrote on Twitter Wednesday: “The Trump Administration wants to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act. We won’t let them threaten our environment just so oil and gas companies can make a quick buck.”

The other states involved in the suit are Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

They aren’t the first group to launch a legal challenge to the administration’s weakening of the ESA, as a coalition of environmental and animal advocacy groups filed suit (pdf) last month.

“We’re coming out swinging to defend this consequential law,” Becerra said in his statement, “humankind and the species with whom we share this planet depend on it.”

Originally published by Common Dreams

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Animals

Dog Befriends Horse & Learns to Give Hugs

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Horse
Photo: Aussie Orion facebook

What could be cuter than a dog and horse interacting with one another? A video of the two pets has gone viral, showing the horse slowly approaching the dog to sniff her. The dog gets scared at first, but once she feels comfortable she will even give the horse a hug! These two animals are so different creatures but yet they have so much in common!

An Australian shepherd in Härryda, Sweden has a horse as its best friend. Two furry BFFs from Härryda, Sweden have become an overnight sensation after becoming viral on social media for their friendship.
The Australian shepherd named Orion and the horse, called “Destiny” bring some warmth to people’s online hearts.
Orion fascinates Destiny- they match! She leans in when he jumps up and seemingly enjoys his attention.
The story is about the unique relationship between two very different animals, such as a dog and a horse.

Orion even has his own Facebook page. Need a smile? You can support them by following their facebook. Click here for more adorableness. 

Photo: Aussie Orion facebook

Sources:
petrescuereport.com
upbeatnews.com

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Animals

Orphaned Elephant Returns to Human Rescuers So She Can Introduce Them to Her Newborn Calf

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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Photo: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

A 14-year-old elephant remembered an amazing act of kindness that happened years before. Thanks to the kindness that she experienced when she was younger, Loijuk grew older and become a mother.

In 2006, at only 5 months old an orphaned elephant was found all alone and it was rescued by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) in Kenya. The SWT hand-raised her until she was old enough to be able to survive in the wild.

Loijuk often returns to the SWT’s Ithumba Stockades, even she now lives in the wild, but she never forgets her human caregivers.

Loijuk’s most recent visit at the beginning of September, however, marked a very special occasion: she had just given birth to a female calf and she wanted to introduce the baby to the SWT rescuers.

Loijuk was an orphan from the tender age of just five months. She was taken to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organization in Kenya that is run by many caring people. They took her in, fed and cared for her as she grew older, and eventually released her back into the wild.

However, Loijuk wasn’t about to forget the humans who took such good care of her when she was a baby. Even though she has adapted very well to living in a natural setting, Loijuk goes back to visit with her caretakers once a month.

“It is so special to witness Loijuk welcome and encourage the interaction, inviting head Keeper Benjamin to enjoy her newborn baby, unperturbed by their shenanigans together, and to immediately see the joy this new life brings the whole Ithumba Unit of dependent orphans and ex-orphan’s alike,” writes the SWT staffers.

Wild Elephant Brings Her Newborn

“Watching her heal, flourish and transition to a wild independent life again in the span of 14 years, surrounded by ex-orphans and wild elephant friends, and now to see her transform into a mother is the ultimate affirmation of a job well done.”

Loijuk stayed close to the sanctuary during the week that followed. It was as if she wanted the keepers to make sure her baby was healthy, so that is exactly what they did. They checked on her often to make sure that everything was well with her. They also supplemented her diet to make sure that she was getting enough nutrition during the dry season.

To support orphaned elephants being cared for by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, you can make a donation.

Photo credit: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Sources:
www.thedodo.com
www.apost.com
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

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Animals

A Parrot and an Alaskan Malamute Make For the Best of Friends

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Parrot and an Alaskan Malamute
Photo: trez_and_tydus Instagram

Have you heard about Alaskan Malamute breed? How about an Alaskan Malamute with a parrot for a best friend. A 4-year-old Alaskan Malamute by the name Tydus, living in South Africa with his owner and Trez – is a mischevious African Grey parrot and Tydus’ loyal companion.

 

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Trez : “This dog is crazy” #AlaskanMalamute #Tydus #Trez #AfricanGrey #dogsofinstagram #trez_and_tydus

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Dogs are not only man’s best friend, but they can also be amazing friends with other animals as well. We always love to hear stories about unusual animal friendships and Tydus and Trez are giving us some serious friendships inspiration.

The 5-year-old Alaskan Malamute is already a star with more than 160 thousand followers on Instagram. You won’t see Tydus and Trez posing together that often on Instagram. They have appeared on numerous websites and social media pages such as 9gag, The Dodo, and Unilad.

In an interview for Hello Bark, the owner explained that the dog and the parrot are both dominant and that makes their friendship a bit complicated.

“They don’t really get along that well. Trez is very dominant and won’t think twice about biting one of Tydus’ paws. We always monitor them and would never leave them alone with each other.”

 

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Love this photo ? #Throwback #throwbackthursday #AlaskanMalamute #Tydus #minitydus

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“Tydus starts howling as soon as he hears an ambulance or whenever he is bored. Trez will then pitch in and say: “Tydus stop it. Good boy!”. Trez comforts him by talking to him while they are alone,” their owner said.

Look at some of these adorable and lovely photos.

 

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Good Morning! #AlaskanMalamute #Tydus

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Peek-a-boo! Look who took a break from taking over the world to take a picture ?. #AfricanGrey #parrot #Trez

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Fave pic of these 2. #alaskanmalamute #Tydus #trez

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Jumping into the weekend like… #AlaskanMalamute #Tydus

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Banner photo: trez_and_tydus Instagram

Sources:
ourfunnylittlesite.com
playjunkie.com
www.unilad.co.uk
9gag.com
www.thedodo.com

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