ESA Listing Protects Lions in Africa and India, Director’s Order Strengthens Wildlife Import Restrictions for Wildlife Law Violators

In response to the dramatic decline of lion populations in the wild, the Service today announced it will list two lion subspecies under the Endangered Species Act. Panthera leo leo, located in India and western and central Africa, will be listed as endangered, and Panthera leo melanochaita, located in eastern and southern Africa, will be listed as threatened. Lion populations have declined by 43 percent due to habitat loss, loss of prey base, and retaliatory killing of lions by humans. Service Director Dan Ashe also issued a Director’s Order to ensure violators of wildlife laws are not subsequently granted permits for future wildlife-related activities, including the import of sport-hunted trophies.
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Rhino Horn Trafficker Sentenced to One Year in Prison

A San Francisco art dealer was sentenced and fined Dec. 16 for his role in the illegal sale of black rhino horns. He was brought to justice as part of Operation Crash, an ongoing investigation targeting illegal trafficking of rhino horn and elephant ivory. A “crash” is the term for a herd of rhinoceros. As of November 2015, more than 20 subjects have been prosecuted and sentenced, and forfeiture and restitution amounts have totaled $5.5 million as a result of Operation Crash, which is being conducted by the Service and other federal and local law enforcement agencies.
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Biologists Team up with Zoos to Save Frogs on Brink of Extinction

Critically endangered tadpoles emergency evacuated from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California and transported to Oakland Zoo and San Francisco Zoo over the summer have successfully morphed into healthy mountain yellow-legged frogs. Non-native trout and a deadly disease have decimated the frog. The Service, National Park Service and the worked together on this effort, and the goal is to release the frogs back into the parks in the summer.
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Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Register Notices Final Rule Proposed Rule Notice
	12/09/15. Programmatic Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Invasive Rodent and Mongoose Control and Eradication on U.S. Pacific Islands Within the National Wildlife Refuge System and in Native Ecosystems in Hawaii
	12/08/15. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Modoc Sucker From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
	12/04/15. Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Seventeenth Regular Meeting: Proposed Resolutions, Decisions, and Agenda Items Being Considered; Observer Information
	11/17/15. John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System; Availability of Draft Maps for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin; Request for Comments
	11/05/15. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Delmarva Peninsula Fox Squirrel From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
Open Comment Periods All Final Rules All Proposed Rules All Notices

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