Flying squirrel protections restored

CHARLESTON, W.Va., June 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final order that reinstated protection for the Virginia northern flying squirrel under the Endangered Species Act.

The final rule complies with a court order that reinstated regulatory protections for the rodent, more commonly known as the West Virginia northern flying squirrel, by listing it as endangered throughout Virginia and West Virginia, the service said Thursday in a release.

While the court order went into effect when it was filed in March, the final rule was necessary to update the Code of Federal Regulations, the Fish and Wildlife Service said.