2nd Bid to Stop Pig Eradication Is Denied

A federal judge on Monday rebuffed a second attempt to halt the extermination of thousands of wild pigs on Santa Cruz Island.

Judge Dickran Tevrizian Jr. denied a request by animal rights activists to issue a preliminary injunction, saying they would not likely win at trial. He said the potential gain of giving island visitors the chance to view the pigs did not outweigh the threat the animals pose to the endangered Santa Cruz Island fox, found only on the island.

The National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy, which jointly own the island 18 miles off the Ventura County coast, say that feral pigs have damaged archeological sites and threatened nine native plant species and, indirectly, the fox. The fox has been preyed upon by golden eagles, which officials say came to the island to feed on the nonnative pigs.

Veterinarian Elliot Katz, founder and president of In Defense of Animals, one of the plaintiffs, said the matter would be appealed in the next few weeks. “It’s a shame we have to appeal, because the longer this thing goes on, the more pigs that will be killed,” he said.

Richard M. Feldman, a Santa Barbara businessman who initiated the lawsuit, said he had anticipated Tevrizian’s ruling, but was upset by what he considered a dismissive attitude.

“The judge didn’t wait two seconds before he said he had prepared a 20-page denial of plaintiff’s motion and was inclined to sign it,” Feldman said, “because he saw no difference in the facts today than existed” at a July hearing where activists unsuccessfully sought a temporary restraining order.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, said the ruling supported the government’s position that eliminating the pigs is scientifically sound. “It is our strong view

In April, hunters hired by the park service and the conservancy began shooting and trapping the pigs. About 2,500 of the island’s 3,000 to 5,000 pigs have been killed, said Yvonne Menard, a park service spokeswoman.