Lynx to Join Endangered List, Wildlife Group Says

The American lynx will be protected as an endangered species by the Interior Department, an environmental group said.

Defenders of Wildlife said Wednesday that a settlement reached with the Justice Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will propose listing the lynx as endangered within the contiguous 48 states by June 30. A final listing decision is not due until June 1999.

The rare wild cat once roamed freely across much of the northern part of the country, but now the lynx population is believed to be fewer than 100, the group said.