A US federal judge has restored Endangered Species Act protections to grizzlies in and around Yellowstone National Park, halting plans for the first licensed trophy hunts of the bears in the region more than three decades.
In his ruling, the District Court Judge Dana Christensen said the federal government didn’t use the best available science when it removed the bears from the threatened-species list last year.
In a 48-page order, Judge Dana wrote that the case was “not about the ethics of hunting, and it is not about solving human- or livestock-grizzly conflicts”.
“By delisting the Greater Yellowstone grizzly without analyzing how delisting would affect the remaining members of the lower-48 grizzly designation, the Service failed to consider how reduced protections in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem would impact the other grizzly populations,” Christensen wrote. “Thus, the Service ‘entirely failed to consider an important aspect of the problem’.”
Tribal groups, which had sued the federal government over the delisting, hailed the news and urged Zinke to sit down with Native American leaders to discuss future efforts to protect the species as populations grow beyond Yellowstone’s borders.
The ruling came as the Trump administration is seeking to rewrite Endangered Species Act regulations that scientists say would erode wildlife protection for the benefit of commercial interests.
Saving grizzly bears from near-extinction in the Yellowstone area is considered one of the greatest wildlife success stories. Numbers of bears have rebounded to more than 700 from a low of about 135 three decades ago.
That is far below an historic high of 100,000 before widespread shooting, poisoning and trapping reduced the bears’ population to just several hundred by 1975, when they were placed under federal protection.
“We have a responsibility to speak for the bears, who cannot speak for themselves,” said Northern Cheyenne Nation President Lawrence Killsback in a statement Monday.
“Today we celebrate this victory and will continue to advocate on behalf of the Yellowstone grizzly bears until the population is recovered, including within the Tribe’s ancestral homeland in Montana and other states”, he added.
> Shatabdi Sarker Poushi
Judge Restores Legal Protection to Yellowstone Grizzly Bears
Will You Support Our Work?
People turns to WhatsOn to understand what's goingOn? We have been empowering through hope & understanding for the last forty years. We’re an independent social enterprise & our journalism is powered by our supporters. Financial contributions from our readers allows us to keep our journalism free for all & to change the world for better. Please support us, with your donation - no matter how small. Your donation makes a real difference, it empowers our activist & academy, and engages wider community groups, & universities - connecting more people. WhatsOn is a change maker, let’s get our future back together!
