"The butterflies will fly no more — or not in public view, anyway.
The National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, has announced that it's closing its doors "for the immediate future" after ongoing harassment directed at employees and the center itself.
The center, a nonprofit nature reserve nestled near the U.S.-Mexico border, unwittingly became the subject of conservative conspiracy theories and political conflict in recent years, having been locked in a years-long legal battle with the Trump administration and We Build the Wall regarding a planned border wall.
The harassment grew so great that it led the board of directors of the North American Butterfly Association, which owns and operates the butterfly center, to decide on Tuesday to close the center's doors, according to a statement released Wednesday."
Sharon Pruitt-Young reports for NPR February 2, 2022.
SEE ALSO:
"QAnon Conspiracy Theorists Force Butterfly Sanctuary to Shut Down" (Earther)
