The Trump administration just made a shocking move by deciding to strip away crucial protections for the critically endangered Rice’s whale and other marine life in the Gulf of America. This extraordinary decision came from a rare meeting of what’s informally known as the “God Squad,” and it could lead to the first extinction of a whale species in North American waters in three centuries.
Per The Guardian, Rice’s Whales have lived for over 3 million years, long before humans even walked the Earth. They can grow to be as long as a bus and weigh as much as six elephants, feasting on fat-rich fish in the Gulf of America. Unfortunately for them, their primary habitat is also a prime location for the oil and gas industry. Right now, only about 50 of these magnificent baleen whales are left.
