The drastic changes in the Arctic wrought by global warming
aren’t just threatening that icon of climate change the polar
bear, they’re also jeopardizing the health of other species–like
the Pacific walrus. Environmentalists petitioned the federal
government years ago to add the walrus to the endangered species
list, but progress on the case has been slow. Now, in a decision
that has angered both activists and oil drillers, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service has decided that even though our be-
blubbered friends deserve recognition under the Endangered
Species Act, there are just too many other endangered animals to
take care of first. Specifically, the organization’s spokesman,
Bruce Woods, said that protecting walruses was advised but
“precluded.” That’s because other animals, like polar bears and
certain species of sea birds, are more imperiled in this world
of receding ice. The agency also said it’s hampered by lack of
firm data on walrus population numbers. “The main thing is that,
compared to the polar b