New legal battle over predator killing in Nevada wilderness

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Conservationists are suing three federal agencies over an environmental review the government says satisfies requirements to resume killing coyotes, mountain lions and other wildlife in federally protected wilderness areas in Nevada.

The move comes five years after the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Wildlife Services settled a similar lawsuit by suspending the operations intended to protect livestock from predators.

The lead plaintiff, WildEarth Guardians, long has battled USDA over the predator management program that Congress approved in 1931 and costs U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars annually.

It allows the department to eradicate a whole host of native species, including mountain lions, bears, wolves and coyotes “for the benefit of agribusiness.”