WPBN: Despite objections from Republican-led states, the Biden administration said on Wednesday that it will continue to protect roughly 2,000 grizzly bears in the Rocky Mountains.
As bear-human conflicts increase, federal officials recently announced that they will relax some prohibitions. If grizzly predators attack dogs or cattle when ranchers are operating outside of approved grizzly recovery zones, they may be shot. Additionally, in order to avoid any confrontations, state officials might be permitted to capture and relocate bears.
In states like California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon where grizzlies are no longer present, protections will be removed. The incoming administration may review the adjustments that were revealed on Wednesday.
Fearsome bruins, grizzlies can weigh up to 800 pounds (363 kilograms) and have a lifespan of over 25 years. Since 1975, the lower 48 states have protected them as a threatened species. During Trump’s first administration, officials attempted to remove those safeguards, but the court overturned their decision.
Beginning in 2021, Republican representatives from Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to take over control of the grizzly population from the state. Hunts would therefore be permitted, though state officials have stated that they would be restricted and would not pose a threat to the general populace.
Although they refused to provide a date, federal officials stated that they will endeavor to terminate protections.
“This reclassification will facilitate recovery of grizzly bears and provide a stronger foundation for eventual delisting,” Martha Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife service director, stated.
According to agency officials, they will solicit feedback from the public regarding the possibility of using hunting as a means of reducing human-bear conflicts. Environmentalists would probably contest that in court and would need a clear exception from the Endangered Species Act’s requirements.
Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, who oversaw the U.S. Interior Department under Trump and worked on a previous attempt to remove protections for bears in and around Yellowstone National Park, sharply criticized the administration’s approach.
While some members of Congress applauded Wednesday’s decision, others, including Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, denounced it.
The range of grizzlies has significantly increased over the last few decades, and it now includes portions of western Washington state. Attacks on animals and, in rare cases, on humans have increased as a result.
Bears in the West, particularly those near Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, have physiologically recovered, according to a conclusion made by U.S. government experts years ago. State wildlife rules, however, have raised concerns that they may not be sufficient to save the animals.
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According to Chris Servheen, a former coordinator for grizzly recovery for the Fish and Wildlife Service, grizzlies will be able to continue spreading into new areas as long as safeguards are maintained. In the absence of those protections, he said, climate change and state regulators determined to lower bear numbers will push the species back toward extinction.
The recovery of grizzly bears to their current location took 45 years and almost $30 million. They would be in danger of going extinct once more if they were delisted, Servheen stated in an interview. “I have not yet examined the documents pertaining to Wednesday’s decision,” he stated.
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There used to be an estimated 50,000 grizzlies that roamed parts of 18 Western states from Texas to the north border of Canada. They were overhunted and trapped to extinction in most places.
Because of human-caused mortality, federal experts concluded in 2021 that measures were still necessary. In 2023, they reexamined at the states’ request and declared that there was “substantial” evidence that grizzlies had recovered in two recovery zones that were established around Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks.
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