Associated Press

Congress has approved two measures to undo federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat – two endangered animals that have seen their populations plummet over the years.
The legislative actions, backed mostly by Republicans, represent rare congressional involvement in matters usually left to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

An early morning fire on Thursday killed nearly all the animals at a wildlife center in Florida, officials said.
News outlets reported the fire broke out around 3 a.m. Thursday at the Alligator and Wildlife Discovery Center in Madeira Beach, near St. Petersburg on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
“We suffered from a tragic fire last night. Nearly all of the animals are gone. We are devastated,” a post on the wildlife center’s Facebook page said.