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USFWS will not list popular big game species as endangered (6/21/2002)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently decided to not upgrade the status of argali sheep, an Asian relative of the bighorn sheep, from 'threatened' to 'endangered.' The Service's ability to make such decisions is now being challenged in an anti-hunting lawsuit that calls on the courts to make wildlife management decisions.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation's Sportsmen's Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) is currently involved in the lawsuit to thwart the anti-hunters’ attempt to stop hunting of the sheep and to end the conservation efforts that keep it off of the endangered species list.

A federal court judge recently denied a motion by the SLDF to dismiss the case. The ruling means that now the court will decide whether the USFWS can issue sheep import permits.

The issue at hand is whether argali sheep are, in fact, endangered. The wildlife professionals say not; the anti-hunters contend the sheep are facing extinction. In the big picture, the issue to all sportsmen and wildlife professionals is whether the courts or wildlife professionals should make such decisions. If the courts can make this decision regarding argali sheep, they can do the same for other wildlife species.

In addition to establishing a dangerous precedent that will lead to courts deciding wildlife management issues, in the shorter term the case will determine the future of argali sheep populations. Additionally, a ban on big game hunting in Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, where these sheep are found, will hurt local economies. Such a ban will destroy the incentive for natives to conserve the sheep and maintain healthy wildlife populations.

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