Advocacy groups sued the Trump administration Wednesday over what they call the biased makeup of a wildlife advisory council.

The lawsuit filed in US district court in New York alleges that the International Wildlife Conservation Council is made of “hunting enthusiasts” and “politically connected donors” who are likely to craft favourable policy for groups that profit from hunting “imperiled animals,” the complaint said.

“It’s very obvious [that the 17-member council has] an intent to undermine some of the protections put in place” based on the affiliations of its members, Zak Smith, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told The Washington Post. Mr Smith said the law requires advisory councils to be balanced so that all sides are represented.

The panel was announced in November 2017 by Interior secretary Ryan Zinke. Its purpose is to increase American awareness of conservation, ensure the support of hunting as a tool to combat illegal poaching and review bans of imported animal trophies, the charter said. In its ranks are a National Rifle Association official, six members who are listed as active hunters and five members who are said to represent wildlife conservation groups.

Paul Babaz, the president of Safari Club International, is listed as a conservationist, and his organisation has been criticised for endorsing the hunting of vulnerable animals. SCI, which told The Washington Post in an email it is monitoring the lawsuit, endorsed Mr Zinke in his House campaign in Montana in 2016 and donated $10,000 (£7,600), according to website OpenSecrets.

The lawsuit is largely cautionary, Mr Smith said, as the council has yet to publicly issue an advisory. But advocates are still worried about the potential sway that the “biased” council might have – as advisory recommendations are “looked at more closely and are likely to be readily adopted,” Mr Smith said.

“If we have to sue to get our government to listen to wildlife conservation experts, we’re happy to do so,” Mr Smith said in a statement.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Show all 8 1 /8 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Winner – Pikin and Appolinaire Pikin, a lowland gorilla, had been captured and was going to be sold for bushmeat but was rescued by Ape Action Africa. Jo-Anne took this photograph as the gorilla was being moved from her former enclosure within a safe forest sanctuary in Cameroon to a new and larger one, along with a group of gorilla companions. She was first sedated, but during the transfer to the new enclosure she awoke. Luckily, she was not only very drowsy, but she was also in the arms of her caretaker, Appolinaire Ndohoudou, and so she remained calm for the duration of the bumpy drive Jo-Anne McArthur Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Finalist – Elegant Mother and Calf Every year from July to late October southern humpback whales migrate north from their Antarctic feeding grounds to give birth in the warm sheltered waters off Tonga. Ray encountered this humpback mother and calf peacefully floating in the plankton-filled water around the island group of Vava’u, Tonga. After Ray gently approached them, the giants swam a bit closer to have a look at him. While they made this elegant turn, Ray took the shot. He later converted the image into black and white which he felt represented the simplicity of the scene Ray Chin/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Finalist – Warm Embrace When polar bear mothers and cubs emerge from their dens in the early spring, the cubs stay close to their mothers for warmth and protection. Once the cubs are strong and confident enough, they make the trek to the sea ice with their mother so that she can resume hunting for seals. Debra waited six days near the den of this family, in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada, before they finally emerged. In the most challenging conditions she has ever faced, temperatures ranged from -35C to -55C with high winds, making it almost impossible to avoid frostbite and keep her camera gear functioning properly Debra Garside/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Finalist – Roller Rider Lakshitha was on safari in MaasaiMara National Reserve, Kenya, when he spotted an unusual sight – a lilac-breasted roller riding a zebra. Normally they prefer to perch high up in the foliage, but his roller spent an hour or more riding around and enjoying the occasional insect meal. Lakshitha waited for the surrounding zebras to form the perfect background before taking this tight crop Lakshitha Karunarathna/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Finalist – Sloth Hanging Out Luciano had to climb the cecropia tree, in the protected Atlantic rainforest of southern Bahia, Brazil, to take an eye-level shot of this three-toed sloth. Sloths like to feed on the leaves of these trees,and so they are often seen high up in the canopy. Luciano Candisani/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Shortlisted – Reach for the Sky Steven was taking pictures of a small group of adult roseate spoonbills in a rookery in Tampa Bay, Florida, when he noticed a newcomer flying in from afar. With just enough time to back up a few steps, Steven photographed the bird landing exactly square to his camera with its wings in a stunning symmetrical U-shape Steve Blandin/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Shortlisted – Holding On This close-up captures the touching moment an infant lays its small hand in the big hand of its mother. Jami took this photograph while she was in Borneo working on a story about the effects of palm-oil agriculture on orangutan habitat. Loss of primary rainforest is a serious threat to this already critically endangered species Jami Tarris/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award Shortlisted – Blood Ivory In a protected area of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, a ranger’s bloody hand rests on a heavily grained ivory tusk, also covered in the blood of an African elephant. The bull had to be destroyed due to a severe tusk infection that couldn’t be treated.The tusks were removed to a place of safekeeping, where they were carefully catalogued in accordance with legislation Peter Chadwick/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The lawsuit was filed by the Democracy Forward Foundation on behalf of the Nrdc, the Centre for Biological Diversity, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International.

Advocacy groups in the complaint also allege that the council disobeyed long standing rules by not publishing transcripts and detailed notes of its meetings in the proper amount of time. Groups in the complaint said they diverted organisational resources to procure “records that should [already be] public”.

The Interior Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, announced in March that it would break with an Obama-era ban on elephant trophies, saying it would permit entry on an individual basis. The NRA and SCI heralded the Trump administration’s decision, according to The Hill.

Thirty-three permits were granted between 2016 and 2018, and half of the recipients donated to Republicans or have a connection to SCI, according to a Friends of Animals report.