A non-profit conservation group is trying to save animals across the country, and they’re suing the government to do it. The Center for Biological Diversity is suing both the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior. In the suit the group asks the government to place seven vulnerable animals on the Endangered Species List, including the Barbour’s Map turtle, the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish, and the Black Rail - all of which live exclusively in the Southeast. Attorney Collette Adkins filed the suit.
“The goal of this lawsuit is to speed protection for the Barbour’s Map Turtle, and the other species in our lawsuit to get a final decision from the Fish and Wildlife Service.”
Adkins said the government is backlogged with endangered animal protection requests. The Fish and Wildlife Service had no comment on the backlog. If the case is successful it will become a federal crime to further endanger the animals.