"Threatened Utah Prairie Dogs Have Their Day In Court...And Win"

"Prairie dogs in Utah won a turf battle against property developers on Wednesday when a U.S. appeals court reinstated restrictions on development in areas inhabited by the threatened animals.

Environmentalists praised the three-judge appeals court panel's decision overturning an earlier ruling and protecting the foot-long rodents, which property rights activists say threaten farm animals and development with their massive underground colonies.

“This is huge, not only for the prairie dog but for the Endangered Species Act,” Michael Harris, legal director for Friends of Animals, a conservation group involved in the case, said in a phone interview Wednesday."

Tom James reports for Reuters March 29, 2017.

SEE ALSO:

"ESA: Court Rebuffs Landowners, Restores Prairie Dog Protection" (Greenwire)