Keep Grizzly Bears on the Endangered Species List

Before European colonization of the land that is now the United States the grizzly bear population peaked at around 50,000 individuals. By the 1970’s, however, due to habitat loss and over hunting their range had shrunk to just 2% of their former habitat and there were barely any grizzly bears left in Yellowstone and the lower 48 states. Now, thanks to grizzly bears being listed as threatened on the Endangered Species List (ESL), their population has grown to a few thousand individuals. Unfortunately, recent petitions by Wyoming and Montana to the US Fish and Wildlife service could put grizzly bears in grave danger.

The state of Wyoming recently filed a lawsuit against the DOI for failing to provide a timely answer to their ongoing petition to delist grizzly bears. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon argues that the grizzly bear population is now stable enough that they should be taken off the list and he is doing everything in his power to pressure the federal government to remove protections from this keystone species. In Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte has filed a similar petition to delist grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) in northwest Montana.

But population growth does not mean complete population recovery, and if grizzly bears are delisted, the states will be responsible for their “management,” meaning they will be able to make decisions about how they are hunted. Taking grizzlies off of the ESL is not for the welfare of the bears, it is a political move designed to appeal to hunting enthusiasts.

Many experts are worried that delisting these bears could lead to a trophy hunting frenzy that the grizzly bear population would struggle to recover from. Poor predator hunting management is already a huge problem when it comes to Montana’s wolves. In some places, there are basically no limits to how many wolves can be hunted. Moreover, grizzly bears already often get killed when people are hunting for other animals, getting caught in traps or being mistakenly hunted by hunting dogs. So if grizzlies are put in this same position, Montana’s irresponsible hunting policies will put them in even greater danger.

In Wyoming, ironically, many of these bears are in Yellowstone, a place that has historically demonstrated the importance of conservation and what happens to ecosystems when hunting and removing key predators goes too far. If Wyoming succeeds at getting these bears delisted, many beloved Yellowstone grizzlies that have never needed to fear humans will be easy targets for hunters waiting to kill any bears that step outside the park limits. Grizzly bears are a key part of the ecosystems they live in, they help draw tourists to Wyoming’s national parks and they are deeply culturally important to some indigenous people. By advocating for their removal, many other animals, including people, will be harmed.

So, why are states advocating for their delisting? The greed of trophy hunting is a key driving force in these attempts, hunters simply want to kill these treasured creatures for vanity and sport. Another driving force is the livestock industry. They argue that grizzlies and other predators contribute significantly to livestock deaths. However, this is actually not true. Government data has proven that livestock predation by grizzly bears is rare and has a negligible effect on cattle and sheep industries. These lies are being perpetuated for the sake of greed and profit.

Fortunately, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has not made a final decision about whether or not to delist grizzlies. This means there is still time to save them.

Take Action Now

Sign this petition to urge the US Fish and Wildlife Service to deny Wyoming and Montana’s petitions and keep grizzly bears on the Endangered Species List. If we make our voices heard, we can continue the conservation efforts that have led to the iconic grizzly bear’s population recovery.