21 species are now officially extinct

Twenty-one species listed on the Endangered Species Act are no longer on it, for all the wrong reasons. They are now officially extinct according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The now-extinct species – bats, birds, fish, and mussels – were found across much of the country.

Said Martha Williams, director of the agency: “[P]rotection came too late to reverse these species’ decline, and it’s a wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperiled species before it’s too late.”

She added, “The ultimate goal is to recover these species, so they no longer need the Act’s protection.”

To prevent future press releases like the one announcing 21 extinctions, please urge your U.S. Senator to support the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. (See below.)