(ANSA) - ROME, FEBRUARY 04 - The butterfly sanctuary in Texas, on the border with Mexico, which had fought against Donald Trump's anti-migrant wall was forced to close after a series of threats from conspiracists.
The American media reported it.
The oasis, which is located on the Rio Grande, has been blamed without foundation by QAnon and other groups who claim the former president of being a center for migrant smuggling.
One of these, We Stand America, organized a protest march against the National Butterfly last weekend, forcing it to a three-day closure. A week earlier two women showed up at the sanctuary asking to see "the rubber boats used for clandestine crossings". On another occasion, the director of the center, Marianna Trevino Wright was hit, while her son was almost put under a car.
We close for "the safety of our staff and visitors," said Jeffrey Glassberg, president of the North American Butterfly Association.
The sanctuary is home to over 200 species of butterflies, as well as bobcats, armadillos, coyotes and turtles.
It is visited every year by 35,000 visitors, including 6,000 students.
In 2017, a lawsuit was filed to block the construction of the anti-migrant wall wanted by Trump, which would have threatened the nature reserve on which it stands.
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