RIVERSIDE, Calif., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Property owners and developers in Southern California have failed in an effort to remove a native kangaroo rat from the endangered species list, officials said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded populations of the big-eyed Stephens' kangaroo rat were diminishing despite protection efforts and left it on the list, the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise reported Thursday.
The decision Wednesday was bad news for developers and property owners who have been coping with the rat protections for more than two decades. The rat favors habitat that is prime for building and development -- flat, open areas.
When the rodent was listed as endangered in 1988, it jeopardized or delayed residential and commercial development on about 22,000 acres in Riverside Country. The restrictions triggered an outcry and the rodent became the bane of local developers, the Press-Enterprise said. UPI
