Judge Orders Idaho to Alter Trapping to Protect Canada Lynx

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that Idaho's regulations for trapping furbearers in northern Idaho violate the Endangered Species Act by allowing the occasional capture of federally protected Canada lynx.

The decision released Friday in U.S. District Court requires Idaho within 90 days to propose a plan that protects lynx in the Panhandle and Clearwater regions. The Center for Biological Diversity and three other groups filed a lawsuit asking that lethal body-crushing traps and snares be made illegal.

The groups also want to limit the size of foothold traps in lynx habitat and require daily checks of traps. The Idaho Department of Fish and game says it's reviewing the ruling and couldn't comment Monday. Officials say at least four lynx have been trapped in Idaho since 2012, with one killed.