MARQUETTE, MI (AP)-- The Michigan appeals court has ruled in favor of wildlife managers in their effort to ban Russian boars and similar pig breeds.
The court says there's nothing unconstitutional about the Department of Natural Resources targeting some breeds and not others. It overturned an injunction ordered by a Marquette County judge last year.
The DNR designated exotic swine as an invasive species off-limits in Michigan. The agency says they're escaping from game ranches and small farms and ravaging wetlands, streams and crops.
The appeals court says plaintiffs in the lawsuit appear to be "highly responsible" Russian boar owners. But the court notes that boars are in the "wilds of our state," and the DNR is reasonably exercising its authority in trying to control them.
The 3-0 decision was released Wednesday.