ETWP; Retention of Threatened Status for Argali in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), retain threatened status for the argali (Ovis ammon), the largest species of wild sheep, in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (the Act), as amended. The special rule allowing importation of sport-hunted trophies from those countries also is retained. We will not proceed with reclassifying the argali as endangered in these three countries, as proposed on April 27, 1993. That proposal is hereby withdrawn. The withdrawal is based on two factors. First, the two lawsuits challenging the original listing and special rule were defeated or dismissed, thereby eliminating our strong concern over the adequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms related to import of sport-hunted trophies from Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan. Second, a review of information compiled over the past eight years (i.e., since the proposed rule was published) in relation to the five listing factors under the Act, indicates that the argali is properly classified as threatened in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan.