(CN) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to adequately protect endangered Canada lynx from being accidentally killed or injured by bobcat trappers, a federal judge ruled.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled that the agency illegally allowed incidental harvest of lynx, in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Canada lynx are listed as a threatened species under the ESA wherever they occur in the contiguous United States and all harvest of lynx is prohibited, including harvest in traps set to legally capture and kill bobcats.

The United States participates in a program that is designed to reduce illegal trade of endangered species. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is an international treaty aimed at clamping down on illegal exports.

Under the treaty, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service regulates the export of animal pelts and parts from bobcats and other furbearers…