Environmental groups sue Calif officials over denial of protections for mountain-dwelling pika

Groups sue over legal protections for pika

FRESNO, Calif. — Environmental groups are suing California wildlife officials to gain protections for the American pika, a mountain-dwelling relative of the rabbit.

In June, the state Fish and Game Commission rejected a petition for the second time to list the pika under the California Endangered Species Act.

Researchers at the Center for Biological Diversity say global warming is destroying the habitat of the tiny pika. The pika live in the cooler, upper reaches of California’s Sierra Nevada, and the mountains of 10 other western states.

The lawsuit was filed by Earthjustice on Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also is studying whether the pika should be federally protected.