Donna Edwards (D-MD), noting the National Wildlife Federation’s attempt to alert the American public to animals endangered by climate change by comparing college mascots to the animals, said, “I can’t wait to dig through the report and actually compare the dangers to those mascots to my brackets come Sunday.”
The Foundation called its report, “Mascot Madness.” It delineated how the real-life versions of college mascots were in dire jeopardy.
Doug Inkley, a senior scientist for the Foundation, said, “In fact, what I could say – if you pardon the pun – is that the game may soon by over for many of our wildlife mascots unless we reduce our carbon pollution and develop new energy sources … Wolverines are tenacious animals, like the sports teams at the University of Michigan, but they rely on deep snowpack for denning and to raise their young. This is disappearing as a result of climate change.”
Red wolves (North Carolina State), gators (University of Florida) and terrapins (University of Maryland) could be threatened by the heat.
Inkley added, “They face a reproductive threat. When the terrapin eggs are incubated and the temperatures become warmer because of climate change, a greater proportion of eggs hatch females.”
Edwards: “I want to encourage you to look at the National Wildlife Foundation’s report, match it up with these brackets, see those species that are in danger because of our changing climate.”