No laughing matter

WASHINGTON – The case of the Hawaiian Haha is no laughing matter to environmentalists, who say the rare plant went extinct while waiting for US wildlife officials to put it on the Endangered Species list.

The Haha’s fate is a symptom of wider problems at the US Fish & Wildlife Service, which oversees programmes aimed at protecting threatened species, according to a report yesterday by the Centre for Biological Diversity. The report, obtained by Reuters on Tuesday, said that the Bush administration has listed 57 species as protected since 2001, far fewer than the 512 species listed in the Clinton administration and less than the 234 species listed during the four-year presidency of George HW Bush, the current president’s father.At least two species – the Haha of Hawaii and the Lake Sammamish Kokonee, a fish native to Washington state – went extinct while waiting for protection during this administration, the report said.Nampa-ReutersThe report, obtained by Reuters on Tuesday, said that the Bush administration has listed 57 species as protected since 2001, far fewer than the 512 species listed in the Clinton administration and less than the 234 species listed during the four-year presidency of George HW Bush, the current president’s father.At least two species – the Haha of Hawaii and the Lake Sammamish Kokonee, a fish native to Washington state – went extinct while waiting for protection during this administration, the report said.Nampa-Reuters