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   Endangered Species Act Marks 20th Anniversary with String of Successes   
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 US Newswire:                                                               
 Two decades ago, the bald eagle, American alligator, gray whale and the    
 peregrine falcon seemed destined for extinction.                           
                                                                            
 Twenty years have passed since the Endangered Species Act became law, and  
 today the alligator no longer needs the protection of the act.  The bald   
 eagle, gray whale and peregrine show great promise of returning to         
 healthy numbers.                                                           
                                                                            
 In fact, four species have recovered to the point that they no longer      
 need the act's protection, while 17 have been upgraded from endangered to  
 the less serious threatened category.  And more success stories are on     
 the way.                                                                   
                                                                            
 The whooping crane, down to only 16 birds in the 1940s, now numbers more   
 than 250 in wild and captive flocks.  Found only in zoos for a number of   
 years, the California condor once again soars high above the mountains of  
 southern California.  And the red wolf, which had to be rescued from       
 extinction through a last-minute removal of animals from the wild, is      
 again roaming native haunts in the Southeast.                              


