USFWS will review status of 38 species listed under ESA

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will review the status of 38 southwestern species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Under review are species found in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma, including the endangered jaguar (Panthera onca), the endangered Mexican wolf (Canus lupus baileyi) and the endangered ocelot (Leopardus pardalis).

Every five years, USFWS conducts status reviews to ensure species continue to have adequate and appropriate levels of protection under the ESA. Five-year status reviews use the best scientific data available to determine if a species’ status has changed since the time it was listed or since the previous status review. After conducting a review, the Service can reclassify the species, remove it from the list or maintain its current classification.

The USFWS is requesting the submission of any relevant and/or new information on these species that has become available since the previous reviews of these species.

Read the notice in the Federal Register.