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.
"The safety of our staff and visitors is our primary concern," Jeffrey Glassberg, the NABA's president and founder, said in the news release. "We look forward to reopening, soon, when the authorities and professionals who are helping us navigate this situation give us the green light."
Though it is unclear when or if the center will reopen, employees will continue to be paid in the interim, according to Wednesday's release.