Talk about a St. Valentine's Day Massacre...
Last week saw the mass-layoffs of thousands of federal employees. While the cuts took place across departments, it seems like the agency that I kept seeing highlighted most often in my newsfeed was the National Parks Service. Perhaps this is partly because I like/follow a lot of National Parks, as do my friends, who share the content, so the algorithm worked that way. Perhaps it was also because the Parks, being some of our most beloved American institutions, are of great interest to the public, and the sacking of dedicated public servants that care for them is the most upsetting to the average social media user.
One post, shared by a friend of mine, was written by a young woman who was one of many of her colleagues suddenly fired from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, where she had worked at one of the Hawaiian refuges. Specifically, she and her colleagues had worked with habitat restoration, trying to protect the vanishing endemic birds of Hawaii. For her, this wasn't just a profession, but also a cause, a labor of love, and I was very sorry to hear about her loss. I was equally sorry to hear about the impact that it might have on those endangered birds... which got me thinking.
Right now, the US Government, through the USFWS, maintains ownership of a large number of endangered native species held by zoos and aquariums. Bald and golden eagles are the most prominent examples, but a host of other species, especially those associated with reintroduction programs, are owned by the government. My suggestion? Ok, Secretary Burgum - your department has decided it doesn't really care anymore? Fine. Relinquish ownership of all captive wildlife held by zoos and aquariums to those zoos.
No more having to get the Fed's permission to move animals. No more tedious annual reports that there will be no one left to read, because everyone's being fired. No more restrictions of partnerships between AZA and non-AZA facilities. We can keep up the idea of sending eagle feathers and body parts to Native American nations for use in cultural regalia, but no reason we need to have you involved in that.
If DOI isn't interested in saving species, at least have the courtesy to get out of the way.
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