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Palin Can't Keep Beluga Off Endangered List

Whale population just won't rebound

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 18, 2008 3:29 PM CDT

(Newser) – The beluga whales living in Alaska’s Cook Inlet were declared an endangered species yesterday over Sarah Palin’s vehement objections, the New York Times reports. The beluga population was cut almost in half during the late '90s, and hasn’t recovered despite a wave of new protections. But Palin campaigned hard against declaring them endangered, because it might restrict coastal oil and gas development.

Palin made a similar failed effort to keep the polar bear off the endangered list. Last year, she wrote that she was afraid the listing might hurt Cook Inlet’s economy, and yesterday she called the move “premature.” But one Anchorage environmental lawyer praised the move. “I think the population is so darn small that they had no choice,” he said.

A 2-month-old beluga whale calf swims with her grandmother Aurora at the Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.
A 2-month-old beluga whale calf swims with her grandmother Aurora at the Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)
Qila, a beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium swims with her new calf in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 12, 2008.
Qila, a beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium swims with her new calf in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)
Sarah Palin campaigns in Lancaster, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008.
Sarah Palin campaigns in Lancaster, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A 2-month-old beluga whale calf swims with her mother, Qila, at the Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.
A 2-month-old beluga whale calf swims with her mother, Qila, at the Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)
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COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
sailor86
Dec 29, 2008 2:01 AM CST
She is a flat out pig.

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