Farewell, Fellow Travellers
(Page 3 of 4)
Palila Loxioides bailleui This Hawaiian
honeycreeper (all native Hawaiian birds are legally
endangered) is threatened by competition for food and
shelter from feral sheep and goats that have been moved
into its only range: the upper slopes of Mauna Kea on the
island of Hawaii. Some years ago, the Sierra Club Legal
Defense Fund brought a suit with palila itself as the lead
plaintiff—the first time a court had allowed such a
case to be prosecuted. The palila prevailed, and the court
ordered the government of Hawaii to remove one of the
species of goats from the birds' habitat. Now the Legal
Defense Fund is back in court to seek removal of another
species of goat in palila country. Estimated
population: 2,000.
RELATED CONTENT
Black-footed ferret
Mustela nigripes
This weasel was thought
extinct until 1984, when a colony was discovered in
Wyoming. Black-footed ferrets live exclusively with prairie
dogs, their principal food. The ferrets have been nearly
exterminated by poisons aimed at the prairie dogs, by
epidemics of dog distemper, and by a renegade virus that
struck them recently. The ferrets' lot, though still
tenuous, may be improving. Captive breeding experiments
have finally yielded survivors, and there have been
confirmed sightings in the wild. Estimated population:
35-40.
Sciota mad tom
Noturus trautmani This small catfish from the Ohio
River may already be extinct. It was last seen in 1958 or
'59, though it was very difficult to find. This is a good
illustration of how the FWS is loath to actually declare a
species extinct. The regulations on this point read as
follows:
"Extinction: Unless all individuals of the listed species
had been previously identified and located, and were later
found to be extirpated from their previous range, a
sufficient period of time must be allowed before delisting
to indicate clearly that the species is extinct."
Estimated population: Unknown.
Perdido Key beach moose
Peromyscus polionotus trissyllepsis This species
was discovered during studies of the environmental impact
of building condominium on Perdido Key off the coast of
Alabama. Biologists counted the little rascals, determined
that their population stood at around two dozen, and
immediately had the mouse added to the endangered species
list. Construction of the condos is currently under
court-ordered injunction pending the outcome of a lawsuit.
Estimated population: 24.
