Yellowstone grizzly bears are being removed from special protection and management after their population has rebounded from 136 bears in 1975 to an estimated 700 today, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
The decision by President Donald Trump's administration to remove the Yellowstone grizzly bear from the list of endangered species has been called "a gift to trophy hunting" by conservation groups.
For the first time in more than four decades, the Yellowstone grizzly bear is set to lose its federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.
But Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke sees the bears' recovery as "one of America's great conservation succeses". "As a Montanan, I'm proud of what we've achieved together".
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Even some observers who argue that the bears have indeed recovered from the brink of extinction have expressed concern about how the states will manage what is known as "discretionary mortality", or the willful killing of bears by hunting or to deal with "problem bears".
Officials said that conservation efforts for the bear, a more than fourfold increase in its population and state policies created to protect the bears show that the delisting is warranted. FWS first published its proposed delisting rule in May 2016, and that development came as little surprise, given the signals broadcasted by various agencies months earlier. The debate around the grizzly bear's health is intimately connected to a debate over the threat climate change poses to the species.
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About 125 tribes have signed a treaty opposing trophy hunting grizzly bears, which Native Americans consider a sacred animal. The nonprofits WildEarth Guardians and the Western Environmental Law Center revealed plans to challenge the decision in court.
A Montana businessman has pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and nine other federal charges after being charged with taking more than $2 million from people who believed they were investing in oil and gas leases.
An added bonus, Cooley said, is that when the Yellowstone grizzly becomes delisted, those resources that had been in place to preserve them can be redistributed to help other species eventually be delisted themselves.
Gov. Mead also praised the decision in a news release issued June 22.
But the decision has not sat well with several environmental groups. "Stable population numbers for grizzly bears for more than a decade also indicate that the GYE is at or near its carrying capacity for the bears". The counterargument suggests that the carrying capacity is lower than it should be because its habitat and food sources have changed since the bear was listed in the "70s, primarily due to climate change-which means that the bear needs to stay protected". FWS's decision to delist Yellowstone grizzlies at this time is wrong, rushed, and contrary to the Endangered Species Act.
Fish Wildlife and Parks said it's not looking to start a hunting season through this de-listing and that it's in compliance with the Endangered Species Act.
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