Another animal protection group has sued the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, saying the state has done little or nothing to stop accidental trapping of federally protected animals.
The California-based Animal Protection Institute filed suit in the Minneapolis federal court Sept. 20, to stop the agency from continuing to allow trappers’ usage of traps and snares that injure and sometimes kill lynx and other animals.
The group sent a letter of intent to sue the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to negotiate trapping rule changes in April; however, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources did not respond.
Through state and federal document requests, the Animal Protection Institute discovered that species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act — including lynx, bald eagles and wolves — have been trapped, injured and sometimes killed, in violation of the federal law.
A recently released statewide study of Canadian lynx confirmed that traps set for other species, such as marten and fisher, pose serious dangers to the lynx.
In July, the Humane Society of the United States and Help Our Wolves Live filed a similar federal lawsuit, saying the state has failed to take any action in changing trapping rules to protect lynx.