As we have been regularly reporting on, Yellowstone Grizzly Bears seem to once again to be at a crossroads.............US Fish & Wildlfe wants to delist the bruins as soon as possible and is currently conducting a study intended to show that the species is fully recovered and not endangered by the demise of the whitebark pine tree(seeds) which are a key foodstuff for them................Now information coming forth declaring that the average number of Grizzly deaths has doubled from 21 to 42 per year over the past 5 years...........We question whether now is the time to remove protection for the Griz,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,why not first establish some additional viable populations of this iconic bear, thereby ensuring connectivity and gene flow across the full range of the Rocky Mtns.

Yellowstone grizzly bear deaths hit record high

 

• By: Dave Smith; examiner.com

 

Yellowstone grizzly bear deaths for 2012 have tied a 2010 record high of 50.
The average number of Yellowstone grizzly deaths has doubled from 21 per year for 2001-2006 to 42 per year for 2007-2012.
In an article titled "Recent Wyoming grizzly bear deaths human-caused," Wyoming Department of Fish & Game bear specialist Mark Bruscino said the current number of grizzly bear deaths is "about average."

That depends on if you mean the average number of deaths before the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service removed Endangered Species Act protections for grizzlies in 2007, or after.

After Yellowstone grizzlies were delisted in 2007, environmentalist sued, and won, in federal court, forcing the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to relist grizzlies in 2009.

But state and federal agencies have ignored the courts. Instead of treating Yellowstone grizzlies as a threatened species and trying to increase the population, agencies have been "managing" grizzlies by killing bears. "Some bears are gonna die," said Idaho Department of Fish & Game Supervisor Steve Schmidt.

The Yellowstone area probably reached it's carrying capacity for grizzlies in 2002 or earlier, but a great die off of whitebark pine trees has diminished the number of grizzlies the land can support. As a result, grizzlies are expanding their range and moving from safe habitat to private land occupied by people and public land where ranchers graze cattle and sheep at bargain rates. Bear-human conflcits have soared.