None were reported to exist in Oklahoma but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service moved this week and declared 21 species extinct Monday, including 10 birds and two freshwater fish.
Based on rigorous reviews of the best available science for each of these species, the Service determined these species are extinct and should be removed from the list of species protected under the ESA. Most of these species were listed under the ESA in the 1970s and 80s and were in very low numbers or likely already extinct at the time of listing.
“Federal protection came too late to reverse these species’ decline, and it’s a wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperiled species before it’s too late,” said Service Director Martha Williams.
“As we commemorate 50 years of the Endangered Species Act this year, we are reminded of the Act’s purpose to be a safety net that stops the journey toward extinction. The ultimate goal is to recover these species, so they no longer need the Act’s protection.”
The species include a bat in Guam, birds in Florida, South Carolina, Hawaii, fish in Texas and Ohio and mussels in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia.
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