U.S. officials to lift Yellowstone grizzly bear protections

[Baclava]

Source: LA TImes

Protections that have been in place for more than 40 years for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park area will be lifted this summer after U.S. government officials ruled Thursday that the population is no longer threatened.

Grizzlies in all continental U.S. states except Alaska have been protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1975, when just 136 bears roamed in and around Yellowstone. There are now an estimated 700 grizzlies in the area that includes northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana and eastern Idaho, leading the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conclude that the population has recovered.

“This achievement stands as one of America's great conservation successes,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement.

The Obama administration first proposed removing grizzlies as a threatened species by issuing an initial ruling in March 2016. The 15 months that have passed since then have been used to by federal officials to evaluate states' grizzly management plans and respond to themes of concern generated by 650,000 comments from the public, including wildlife advocates and Native American tribal officials who are staunchly opposed to hunting grizzly bears.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-yellowstone-grizzly-bear-protections-20170622-story.html

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I guess the ranchers have won again

[drray23]

1. 700 is not that much more than 136.

It will only take a few years of rednecks shooting at bear to be right back where we were.

[Baclava]

2. Found this from last year....

May 12, 2016

Three states are getting ready for the possible return of grizzly bear hunting around Yellowstone National Park

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Hunters soon could be chasing grizzly bears across the ridges of the Rocky Mountains, leaving three states to drum up plans to ensure the iconic species won't be snuffed out soon after recovering from threats to their survival.

The Obama administration in March proposed lifting protections for the more than 700 grizzlies around Yellowstone National Park. The bears have been considered a threatened species since 1975, but federal wildlife officials say that population has sufficiently recovered to turn over management to Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

The actual quota of grizzlies available for each state's hunt would vary from year to year, depending on the previous year's bear deaths. The three states have apportioned the bears that could be hunted according to their share of the Yellowstone area: Wyoming with 58 percent, Montana with 34 percent and Idaho with 8 percent. Montana officials estimated their number would be less than 10 bears in most years.

Outside the Yellowstone area, other grizzly populations in Montana, Idaho and Washington state will remain protected. The grizzlies' Alaska cousin, the brown bear, is not considered a threatened or endangered species and is hunted regularly.

https://www.usnews.com/news/science/articles/2016-05-12/rocky-mountain-states-prepare-for-return-of-grizzly-hunts

[moondust]

3. Uday and Qusay want a grizzly?

[democratisphere]

4. Barbaric F'ing Assholes

[MFM008]

5. They need to hunt in ebola

Prone areas.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Sickening.

[Botany]

7. Because they made Yellowstone too small for the natural range of the elk, bison,

and grizzly bears every year some leave the park and now the bears can be
shot.

[UberAlles]

8. Goddamn humans

Always fucking things up with their needs and their Apex predator status. Gaia needs room to breathe too!

[Bayard]

9. Yellowstone wolves are already being killed

When they venture outside the park to find more game. I saw a special on them last week where a female had survived all kinds of travail to become leader of her own pack. In desperation, she finally led them outside the park to find elk. She was promptly shot and killed. It was heartbreaking.

Goddamn these people. And if there was a hell, Zinke would have a special place reserved. Instead, lets just put him in a bear or wolf skin and drop him right outside the park.