The US Fish and Wildlife Service officials have announced on Friday that they will remove fox squirrel from the list of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife under the Endangered Species Act in December. The squirrels, which live in forest area, have made a great comeback.

A decline came in the population of squirrels owing to forest cutting for the purposes of agriculture and development, over-hunting and short-rotation timber harvest. In 1967, the squirrel was added into the list when a shocking 90% decline came into its population. Its 77 other species were also added in the list.

Michael Bean, Interior Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, said, “The fox squirrel’s return to this area, rich with farmland and forest, marks not only a major win for conservationists and landowners, but also represents the latest in a string of success stories that demonstrate the Endangered Species Act’s effectiveness”.

The officials said they will keep a tab on the population of squirrels and habitat for five years after they delist them. State agencies have affirmed that they have come up with individual plans aiming at their conservation and translocation.

Since the time the squirrel was included in the list, conservation work has helped increase the range of the fox squirrels to 135,000 acres of forest in 10 nations. Its population has increased between 17,000 and 20,000 animals.