Over 20 Animal Species Being Removed From the Endangered Species Act Has a Huge Downside

Gabrielle LaFrank
·2 min read
5

At first glance, the news about 21 species being taken off of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Endangered Species List may sound like a good thing. After all, if a species isn't endangered, it must be in the clear! Right?

As much as I wish that were true, it's sadly the opposite. On Monday, October 16, the USFWS officially delisted 21 American animal species from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction. This is already serving as a wake-up call for climate activists, conservationists, and animal lovers alike, but there's more to this news than meets the eye.

The newly extinct species include ten species of bird, 8 species of mussel, 2 species of fish, and one species of fruit bat (AKA flying fox). More specifically, they are:

  • Little Mariana fruit bat (mammal – Guam)

  • Bachman’s warbler (bird – Florida, South Carolina)

  • Bridled white-eye (bird – Florida)

  • Kauai akialoa (bird – Hawaii)

  • Kauai nukupuu (bird – Hawaii)

  • Kauaʻi ʻōʻō (bird – Hawaii)

  • Large Kauai thrush (bird – Hawaii)

  • Maui ākepa (bird – Hawaii)

  • Maui nukupuʻu (bird – Hawaii)

  • Molokai creeper (bird – Hawaii)

  • Po`ouli (bird – Hawaii)

  • San Marcos gambusia (fish – Texas)

  • Scioto madtom (fish – Ohio)

  • Flat pigtoe (mussel – Alabama, Mississippi)

  • Southern acornshell (mussel – Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee)

  • Stirrupshell (mussel – Alabama, Mississippi)

  • Upland combshell (mussel – Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee)

  • Green-blossom pearly mussel (Tennessee, Virginia)

  • Tubercled-blossom pearly mussel (8 states)

  • Turgid-blossom pearly mussel (Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee)

  • Yellow-blossom pearly mussel (Alabama, Tennessee)

If that list feels overwhelming, it's for a good reason. These extinctions mark significant changes in their local ecosystems, and they're likely not the last that will take place. In 2019, scientists warned the public that over 1 million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction (via CBS News). In the United States alone, over 1300 species are considered threatened or endangered by the USFWS's Endangered Species Act.

However, the abruptness of this announcement makes the process of delisting endangered species sound a lot faster than it is. A total of 23 species were submitted for consideration back in September 2021, and the move was made official over two years later. And, despite the loss of 21 vital, unique animal species, the USFWS reports that "more than 100 species of plants and animals have been delisted based on recovery." That's a beautiful silver lining!

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