Palin fails to keep beluga whales off endangered species list

London, Oct 25 : Sarah Palin, the Republican Party vice-presidential nominee for the US elections 2008, has failed in her aim to keep beluga whales off the endangered species list.

According to a report in New Scientist, the US government has added beluga whales in the Cook Inlet in Alaska to the endangered species list.

This is despite Palin's efforts as state governor to prevent protection for this population being boosted.

Earlier this year, Palin expressed outrage at a decision to put the polar bear on the endangered list, and Alaska unsuccessfully sued for the potential loss of revenue from oil and gas development.

She also claimed there was not enough evidence to classify the Cook Inlet beluga whale as endangered, and called for a recount.

Though the recount delayed the listing by six months, it revealed that the Cook Inlet is home to just 375 of the animals, down from 653 in 1995.

ANI