What if the endangered or threatened species is an animal?
Endangered species law treats animals and plants differently. Because animals usually travel freely from one property to another, they belong to everyone. It is against the law to “take” an endangered or threatened animal without a permit. “Take” includes more than just killing, hunting, trapping and collecting; it can also mean harassing the animal or significantly modifying its habitat. What if the endangered or threatened species is a plant? Just like the trees in your backyard, plants belong to you as the private landowner whether they are rare or common. What becomes of them is therefore in your hands. The endangered species laws only protect plants on public lands, such as National Forests, public parks, military bases, and other lands owned by any national, state, county, or other public agencies, or when federal funds are used. On private lands, plants are not protected by federal or state endangered species laws, unless a plant is destroyed by someone that does not own the lan
