Wildlife lawsuits

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 1998:

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office
said on May 13 that it intends to appeal an April 6
World Trade Organization tribunal verdict that the
U.S. broke international trade rules by barring the
import of shrimp netted without the use of Turtle
Excluder Devices (TEDS). The import ban was
protested by India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and
Thailand. On May 1, just five weeks after Thai sea
turtle conservationist Manop Kidsarng warned that
the Phuket Island turtle population was in desperate
trouble due to fishing and poaching, the U.S. certified
that Thailand and 38 other nations have adequate
turtle protections in place, and that Thai
shrimp therefore can now be imported.

Animal Protection of New Mexico a n d
Defenders of Wildlife on May 7 asked the federal
district court in Albuquerque to halt “excessive
mountain lion killing” within the state by USDA
Wildlife Services, a.k.a. Animal Damage Control.
James Reichle, district attorney for
Plumas County, California, on May 5 filed 12
misdemeanor criminal charges against the C a l i f –
ornia Department of Fish and Game and three
DFG staffers for poisoning Lake Davis l a s t
October to get rid of non-native northern pike, who
had been illegally introduced by recreational fishers
and were allegedly threatening indigenous species.
The town of Portola, whose tap water comes from
Lake Davis, has had to import water ever since.