Tribes want protections to remain for sacred grizzly bears
Source: AP
By MATTHEW BROWN
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — American Indians across the West are calling for continued federal protections of grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies, saying they oppose trophy hunting of a species many tribes consider sacred.
The Interior Department is considering lifting protections for an estimated 700 to 1,000 grizzly bears in a vast wilderness centered on Yellowstone National Park. That would put the animals under state management and open the door to limited hunting.
The former chairman of Arizona's Hopi tribe, Ben Nuvamsa, says his people regard the grizzly as an "uncle" possessing strong healing powers.
Nuvamsa and representatives of dozens of other tribes say they have been denied formal consultations on the government's upcoming decision.
FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2013, file photo, a grizzly bear cub forages for food a few miles from the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Mont. American Indians across the Western US have stepped into the debate over plans to remove federal protections for grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies, saying they oppose trophy hunting of an animal that many tribes consider sacred. (Alan Rogers/The Casper Star-Tribune via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3d77cebf405b4cd39892c941f1f136b7/tribes-want-protections-remain-sacred-grizzly-bears
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