Louisiana black bear no longer endangered, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

quote:

---

The Louisiana black bear is "saved" and no longer needs the protections of the Endangered Species Act, according to a news release from the Center for the Biological Diversity.

Gov. Bobby Jindal, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are expected to hold a press conference on the subject Wednesday (May 20) afternoon.

The Louisiana black bear has met recovery goals 10 years ahead of schedule, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

---

quote:

---

The Louisiana black bear — nicknamed for Teddy Roosevelt after he chose not to shoot one while hunting in Louisiana — is one of 16 unique subspecies of American black bears. Historically these animals ranged throughout Louisiana and into Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas. The Service protected them under the Act in 1992 because of pressures from hunting and habitat destruction and fragmentation. It is estimated there were only a few hundred bears at the time of listing.

---

quote:

---

Since listing under the Act, four breeding subpopulations of Louisiana black bears have emerged, likely supporting more than 500 bears. The areas supporting Louisiana black bear breeding subpopulations have increased more than 430 percent, from 340,000 acres to more than 1.4 million acres in Louisiana and Mississippi.

---