Friday, February 5, 2010

Federal officials have decided not to provide endangered species protections to the American pika, a tiny mountain-dwelling animal thought to be struggling because of climate change.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was scheduled to announce the decision Friday.

A copy of the decision listed on a federal website on Thursday says while some pika populations in the West are declining, others are not. The agency says Endangered Species Act protections are not warranted.

The pika lives mostly in high, rocky mountain slopes in 10 Western states.

The animals are well-suited for alpine conditions, but as temperatures warm they're forced to move up-slope. In some places, scientists say the pika has run out of room to run and populations have disappeared.