Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in mid-May, seeking Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the pygmy rabbit.
The groups said the agency failed to meet a one-year deadline to determine whether the species needed protections, which they say is threatened by grazing, wildfires, oil and gas development, invasive species and loss of habitat.
The rabbits are found in parts of Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Colorado, California, and Oregon.
“Our petition presented clear and compelling evidence that the government should take a close look at the threats to the pygmy rabbit and its sagebrush habitats and make the decision about whether to give them the protections of the Endangered Species Act,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project.
The environmental groups petitioned USFWS in the spring of 2023 seeking ESA protections for the rabbit, and the agency determined in 2024 that listing could be warranted. However, USFWS has since indicated it does not anticipate completing the listing determination until fiscal year 2028.
“The Service has left the pygmy rabbit and the sagebrush habitat it relies on in limbo, allowing continued declines and habitat loss to grazing, drilling, wildfire, and invasive species,” said Joanna Zhang, endangered species advocate with WildEarth Guardians. — Anna Miller Fortozo, WLJ managing editor
