U.S. officials have changed the name of various animals as the public has put a greater emphasis on identifying and correcting controversial language.
Last week, the Entomological Society of America announced it will drop the name of the “gypsy moth” and the lesser-known “gypsy ant” after the group of scientists said it was an “ethnic slur.”
“It’s an ethnic slur to begin with that’s been rejected by the Romani people a long time ago,” society President Michelle Smith said, according to the Associated Press. “Second, nobody wants to be associated with a harmful invasive pest.”
In April, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service changed the “Asian carp” label to “invasive carp.” The name describes four species of carp — bighead, silver, grass, and black carp.
“We wanted to move away from any terms that cast Asian culture and people in a negative light,” Charlie Wooley, director of its Great Lakes regional office, said.
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Minnesota state Sen. Foung Hawj led the charge in his state to change the name of the fish and won approval to do so in 2014. The impetus for the final and ultimately successful push was when an Asian business delegation arrived in the Minneapolis airport and read a sign that said, “Kill Asian Carp.”
“I had more hate mail than you could shake a stick at,” said state Sen. John Hoffman, who led the charge with Hawj.
