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Yellowstone's Grizzlies Still Need Protection
The Bush administration has proposed a plan to revoke Endangered Species Act protections from grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park. Protections afforded to Yellowstone grizzly bears and their habitat since the population was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1975 have enabled the population to rebound from the brink of extinction. Today, more than 500 bears live in Yellowstone National Park and adjacent areas of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Their survival and the continued growth of the population depends on two factors -- maintaining essential habitat and minimizing human-caused mortalities. However, delisting Yellowstone's grizzlies will loosen restrictions on hunting and industrial and real estate development in the area, accelerating the loss of bear habitat and increasing the likelihood of conflict between bears and humans. Yellowstone Grizzly Bears at Risk: An Overview Threatened Grizzly Bear Habitat in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Mortality in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem last revised 2.14.06 |
