US conservation group to drop Audubon name over ‘pain’ caused by slaveholder

The Audubon Naturalist Society, based in the Washington DC area, seeks to distance itself from controversial 19-century ornithologist

A leading US conservation group, the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS), has announced it will change its name, due to the pain" caused by the 19th-century ornithologist and slaveholder John James Audubon.

The group, which holds wildlife sanctuaries across Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland, said that it had become clear its name did not connect to its diverse set of programmes and that some members and volunteers had objected.