Lawsuit Launched to Save Giraffes From Extinction

Giraffe populations have dropped nearly 40 percent in the past three decades. And the crisis is only getting more urgent.

That's why the Center for Biological Diversity and allies this week filed a notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to respond to our 2017 petition to protect giraffes under the Endangered Species Act. Just over 97,000 of these beloved, impossibly long-necked animals remain in the wild: The species is gravely imperiled by habitat loss, civil unrest, hunting for meat and the international trade in bone carvings, skins and trophies.

"Africa now has fewer giraffes than elephants, but the Trump administration refuses to throw these imperiled creatures a lifeline. That has to change, before it's too late," said the Center's Tanya Sanerib.

Read more at The Hill, check out this video, and consider donating to our Trump Resistance Fund.

Wolves Need National Recovery Plan — So We're Suing

Under the Endangered Species Act, wolves must remain protected until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service implements a comprehensive recovery plan for them. Yet this summer the agency instead announced a scheme to strip protection from the species across the lower 48 states.

That would make wolves vulnerable to trophy hunting and trapping, halting their progress toward recovery. So on Wednesday the Center filed a notice of intent to sue the Service over its failure to make a recovery plan.

"Endangered Species Act protection pulled gray wolves back from the brink," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "Cutting their lifeline now would get wolves needlessly killed and terribly hobble their progress toward a comeback."

Check out our press release.

The allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh are now at the center of the debate about his fitness to serve on the highest court in the land. This new information must be addressed through a fair, nonpartisan and thorough process. Meanwhile, due to Kavanaugh's track record on the environment, we're continuing to oppose his confirmation.

As the Center's Senior Counsel Bill Snape notes, while Kavanaugh was a circuit court judge, he voted against the interests of wildlife 96 percent of the time. Please take a moment now to urge your senators to vote no on Kavanaugh.

Tell Applebee's to Make Its Menu Greener

Applebee's is one of the country's largest restaurant chains, but it doesn't offer a single plant-based entrée. And those chicken tenders and steak dinners come with greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, water use and habitat loss the planet can't afford.

For the first time in history, more people are eating out or buying prepared meals than cooking at home. That's why the Center has teamed up with One Meal a Day to get Earth-friendly, plant-based options on every menu across the country — starting with Applebee's.

On Tuesday activists from California to North Carolina called on the restaurant chain to add plant-based entrees to their menus. Take action to ask Applebee's for greener menu options.

Wild & Weird: After 50 Years, Plovers Fledge at Huntington

Get excited, plover lovers: For the first time in 50 years, western snowy plovers have successfully nested and fledged chicks at California's famous Huntington State Beach.

Check out footage of those fledglings making a big flap forward for ploverkind on Facebook or YouTube.