Denver, CO—The highly imperiled pygmy rabbit will languish without Endangered Species Act protection according to a decision issued today by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Service rejected considering the pygmy rabbit for protection under the Endangered Species Act in response to a formal petition submitted by a coalition of citizen groups in 2003.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service just condemned the endangered pygmy rabbit to continued declines across its range and even possible extinction,” said Jeremy Nichols, Endangered Species Program Director for Biodiversity Conservation Alliance.

Weighing only one pound, the pygmy rabbit is the smallest rabbit in North America. Once occurring throughout the Sagebrush Sea landscapes of eight western states, it has vanished from most of its former range, being reduced to only small pockets of habitat in isolated areas. It has declined by over 90%. The species’ decline is closely tied to the destruction of sagebrush habitat, which provides food and cover for the rabbit. Overgrazing of domestic livestock, rampant oil and gas development in western Wyoming, and off-road vehicle use are the primary threats to sagebrush habitat.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service’s finding flies in the face of the best available science,”said Jacob Smith, Executive Director of the Center for Native Ecosystems. “The Endangered Species Act is a safety net for wildlife, yet this decision leaves the pygmy rabbit to fall into oblivion.”

While recognizing the pygmy rabbit and its sagebrush habitat have declined and remain threatened, the Fish and Wildlife Service inexplicably determined that Endangered Species Act protection was not warranted. The finding does not explain how, in face of declines and ongoing threats, the pygmy rabbit will not go extinct in the future.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service seems to believe that wildlife only qualify for Endangered Species Act protection when they go extinct,” said Nichols. “This would be laughable if the consequences for the pygmy rabbit weren’t so serious.”

The decline and imperilment of the pygmy rabbit mirrors that of other wildlife that call the Sagebrush Sea of the west their home. The sage grouse, for example, which depends entirely on sagebrush for its survival, has declined by over 70% throughout the west.

“The decline and endangerment of the pygmy rabbit is a sign of widespread habitat loss and degradation,” said Smith. “The Endangered Species Act could help protect the Sagebrush Sea and the wildlife it supports, yet the Fish and Wildlife Service chose instead to turn a blind eye to conservation.”

Protection under the Endangered Species Act would have provided a valuable safety net for the pygmy rabbit and led to increased protection of the Sagebrush Sea, the ecosystem upon which the rabbit depends for survival. It would have established reasonable restrictions on oil and gas development in western Wyoming, better regulation of domestic livestock grazing, and enhanced state and local conservation efforts.