Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : ‘Teddy Bear’ Listed as ‘Threatened’ Species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Louisiana black bear as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act but decided to permit continued logging and forestry operations in the animal’s remaining habitat--two river basins in Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi. The decision, which stops short of designating the bear as “endangered,” was criticized by wildlife activists. “It provides some protection, but not nearly what is needed and deserved,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. Fish and Wildlife officials said the bear, made famous as the “Teddy Bear” by President Theodore Roosevelt, did not warrant an endangered designation because it is not in imminent danger of extinction.