‘Teddy bear’ headed off threatened species list

By Patriot Outdoor News

The Louisiana bear that inspired the Teddy bear more has recovered from decades of habitat loss and could soon be removed from the federal list of threatened species.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) announced the proposed delisting under the Endangered Species Act Wednesday, crediting a two-decade public-private partnership with the bear’s recovery.

Jewell declared that the recovery shows the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act, which has long been a target of conservatives who decry the economic impacts that protections have on industries that use the land where species live.

“Across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, we have worked together with our partners to protect and restore habitat, reintroduce populations and reduce the threats to the bear,” Jewell said in a statement, following an announcement event with Jindal. “Today’s recovery of the bear is yet another success story of the Endangered Species Act.”

The Louisiana black bear is a unique subspecies of the black bear.

President Theodore Roosevelt refused to kill one of the bears on a Louisiana hunting trip in 1902, inspiring a candy store owner in New York City to name a stuffed bear after him, which he called “Teddy’s bear.”

The bear species was declared threatened in 1992 following …read more

Source:: Patriot Outdoor News