News
Bad News, Bears? States Take Legal Actions to End Grizzlies’ Endangered Species Protections
Wyoming, Montana and Idaho want to manage brown bears, but wildlife advocates worry federal protections would end too soon for some populations and anti-predator attitudes will encourage lethal controls.
By Najifa Farhat
Three of the four states that still have grizzlies in the contiguous U.S.—Wyoming, Montana and Idaho—have each taken legal actions to remove the bears from the endangered species list and take over their management. But while the brown bear populations have recovered in some of their habitats, opponents of their delisting say that it’s too soon to give their oversight to states that could allow hunting and management practices that aren’t based on science, while climate change and development are pressuring the species’ habitats and food sources.
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