In January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) deleted its public database that included inspection records from zoos, circuses, and animal research labs. National Geographic filed a Freedom of Information Act request, but USDA still refuses to say why the records were erased—and replied with 1,771 pages of completely blacked-out documents. According to Born Free USA’s Kate Dylewsky, “the lack of transparency is as astounding as it is bewildering.”
Link: National Geographic