Trump's wildlife protection council is mostly trophy hunters and donors, lawsuit says

Source: WaPo

Advocacy groups sued the Trump administration Wednesday over what they call the biased makeup of a wildlife advisory council.

The lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court in New York alleges that the International Wildlife Conservation Council is made of “hunting enthusiasts” and “politically-connected donors” who are likely to craft favorable policy for groups that profit from hunting “imperiled animals,” the complaint said.

“It’s very obvious [the 17-member council has] an intent to undermine some of the protections put in place” based on the affiliations of its members, Zak Smith, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told The Washington Post. Smith said the law requires advisory councils to be balanced so that all sides are represented.

The panel was announced in November 2017 by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Its purpose is to increase American awareness of conservation, ensure the support of hunting as a tool to combat illegal poaching and recommend the “removal of barriers to the importation into the United States of legally hunted wildlife,” the charter said. In its ranks are a National Rifle Association official, six members who are listed as active hunters and five members who are said to represent wildlife conservation groups.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/08/01/trumps-wildlife-protection-council-is-mostly-trophy-hunters-and-donors-lawsuit-says/?tid=sm_tw