Why did the Service re-examine part of its 1998 Florida black bear determination?
A1: After the Service found that listing the Florida black bear was not warranted, its determination was challenged by several environmental groups in a 1999 lawsuit. Subsequently, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the Service to re-examine one of the five criteria used in deciding whether to list the Florida black bear. According to that criteria, if the “regulatory mechanisms” in place to protect the bear had been found inadequate, listing the bear as threatened may have been warranted.
