US to Keep Protecting Rocky Mountain Grizzly Bears Despite GOP Objections

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced on Wednesday that it would keep protecting grizzly bears in four Rocky Mountain states despite objections from GOP-led states.

Why It Matters

Grizzlies have been protected as a threatened species across the lower 48 states since 1975. At one point, about 50,000 grizzlies were found in 18 western states from Texas to the Canadian border, but they were wiped out in most areas from overhunting and trapping.

In 1975, there were less than 1,000 grizzlies in the lower 48 states, but now there are over 2,000 bears thanks to USFWS recovery efforts. There are also larger grizzly populations in Alaska and hunting is allowed there.

What To Know

Grizzlies in Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming will continue to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, USFWS officials said Wednesday. They also said they plan to reclassify the grizzly’s status so ranchers would be allowed to shoot bears that attack their livestock.

Republicans Try To Reclaim Grizzly Management

Starting in 2021, Republican officials in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming petitioned the USFWS seeking to reclaim state management of grizzlies. If they were successful, hunting would again be allowed, but state officials said it would be limited and not endanger the overall grizzly population.

What People Are Saying

USFWS Director Martha Williams, said in a statement on Wednesday: “This reclassification will facilitate recovery of grizzly bears and provide a stronger foundation for eventual delisting.”

U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican, told the Associated Press (AP): “There’s no denying the Biden administration jammed this through with 12 days to go knowing it’s a blatantly political play to appease radical environmentalists.”

“Thankfully the political hands pulling the strings at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are about to be fired,” said Zinke, who worked on a prior attempt to remove protections for bears in and around Yellowstone National Park when he was the Interior secretary under President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration.

Andrea Zaccardi from the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity told the AP: “The Fish and Wildlife Service rightly followed the science.”

What Happens Next

Federal officials said they will work toward ending protections for Grizzlies eventually. However, an exact timeline was not given.

Meanwhile, USFWS officials will take public comments on whether hunting could be used to relieve human-bear conflicts and whether it should be legal to shoot bears that attack livestock.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.