The Threatened Yellowstone Grizzly Bear is to Be Delisted

One population of the grizzly bear in the Yellowstone ecosystem, Ursus arctos horribilis, is about to be delisted, or removed off the federal threatened status. It has been considered threatened for the last 26 years, but due to a steady growth in population and successful protection of its habitat, the grizzly bear is about to be delisted, or removed off the endangered species list.

Overall, in the recovery plan, more than 26 million dollars has been spent, but the money was not wasted. It was spent on research, study and tracking. Scientists were able to determine the home range, feeding habits and population increase of the grizzlies. There are three states, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, where the grizzly bear lives. The state agencies have been working in concert with the US Fish and Wildlife Service for the recovery of the grizzly in Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding areas.

The successful increase in population is due to the cooperation between the federal and state agencies, in addition to private conservation groups and individuals who have donated time and money to help out. Even though this particular population of grizzly is about to be removed off the threatened list, there are still four more populations in other states that have no recovered enough to be removed. These bears will still remain on the threatened list. When the Yellowstone grizzlies were originally listed in 1975, there were only around 200 to 300 bears, but now there are estimated to be over 500 grizzlies.

To keep the population safe and healthy, there will be management plans developed to keep the habitat intact. It was primarily habitat loss was the primary reason for the drop in the grizzly population in the first place, so preserving the habitat is an absolute necessity. The entire process of listing and delisted animals is complicated and takes a long time. It was two years ago, in 2005, that the Yellowstone grizzly bears were first proposed for delisting. Since then, there have been public meetings and time allowed for public comments. Once the delisting has been proposed, it must be placed in the Federal Register so that anyone concerned can read the announcement.

The recovery of the grizzly bear has been a steady program over the years, but it was complicated because of the size of the bears. Large animals require a great deal of land to wander and hunt in, as well as large amounts of food. The grizzly bears live close to ranchers, which has also caused some concern for the livestock. Because of these reasons, the recovery plan had to be developed carefully to take everything into consideration. It was a cooperative effort among scientists, the ranchers and concerned people, but it proves that the Endangered Species Act works.