What's Happening: We had gone a quarter-century without a human death attributed to a grizzly bear attack. Now, in the space of five weeks, we have two. The latest occurred July 28, when a man was attacked while sleeping in his tent at Soda Butte Campground east of Cooke City, Mont. That followed the equally tragic death of a renowned botanist just east of Yellowstone National Park on June 17. In the first incident, the bear had just been awakened after being tranquilized by researchers. The latest was a puzzling random event that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park officials are trying to better understand. It appears the cubs were undernourished but not starving, and they lived in an area with ample food sources. FWP officials also are looking into the possibility that a wildlife photographer was baiting animals in the area. Grizzly attacks are exceedingly rare; odds are 1 in 1.9 million of being injured by a bear. But a bear that has killed a human is itself killed. Part of this summer's tragedy is the loss of five healthy grizzly bears — the male involved in the June incident, the mother sow who attacked the camper, and three cubs that will not be returned to the wilds; the sow was euthanized and the cubs sent to a zoo in Billings, Mont. it's a significant loss for a species that still requires Endangered Species Act protections.
Protections Restored: Last fall, because of a suit filed by GYC, a judge restored Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears. Federal judge Donald Molloy in Missoula issued a ruling returning ESA protections in September 2009. The judge said the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's grizzly plan did not provide strong enough habitat standards and failed to address additional protections in the event of a decline in food sources due to climate change. Of particular concern is the whitebark pine, whose nuts sustain grizzlies through their long hibernation. Recent studies show that Greater Yellowstone has lost about 70 percent of its whitebark pines — a high-elevation tree whose branches shade snow and thus slow the spring melt.
The Issue: Nearly driven to extinction in Greater Yellowstone in the 1970s by logging in prime habitat and the closure of dumps in Yellowstone, grizzly bears have rebounded to a population of around 600. They were removed from Endangered Species Act protections in 2007, but in the following two years grizzly mortality rose alarmingly largely due to conflicts with hunters. Bear mortality dropped in 2009, but concerns remain. Their future is still precarious because of habitat issues and a potential decline in food sources due to climate change.
Our Mission: To keep grizzlies listed until their habitat and numbers are secure enough for them to be off the endangered species list. This means an adequate plan for protection of their food sources as well as the continuing education of the public about bear safety and the key role grizzlies play at the top of a thriving ecosystem.
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