Polar bear not protected yet: The US Department of the Interior wants 10 more weeks to decide whether polar bears should be listed as endangered species. In a court filing, the department said the delay is because of "the complexity of legal and scientific issues," including the need to review 670,000 public comments and government reports. Conservationists say the delay is deliberate for the government wants to transfer offshore petroleum leases in the animals' habitat (see 'Can't bear with oil', Down To Earth, March 15, 2008).
Farmers lose battle over cull: Farmers lost a legal battle to stop slaughter of dairy cattle that tested positive for bovine TB. The disease is a big concern in the UK. The Higher Burrow, a Somerset-based organic farmers' association, had asked the High Court to order re-tests after contradictory results emerged from the tests by Defra. The court rejected the plea saying that Defra's policy on TB testing is lawful.
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