HELENA, Mont. — The black-tailed prairie dog may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday in response to a petition by wildlife advocacy groups.
The agency said it will review the status of the black-tailed prairie dog, removed in 2004 as a candidate for listing under the species law, and expects to publish findings in a year.
“Endangered Species Act protection is likely the only way to prevent the animal’s extinction,” Lauren McCain of petitioner WildEarth Guardians said Tuesday.
The July settlement of a lawsuit over the status of black-tailed prairie dogs required the Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether a full status review was appropriate based on information in the petition by WildEarth Guardians, the Laramie.-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, the Center for Native Ecosystems and Rocky Mountain Animal Defense. Black-tailed prairie dogs are found in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming and in portions of Canada and Mexico. The Associated Press
