The Yellowstone National Park’s 2015 annual report summary shows that grizzly bear deaths have reached a record high. They reveal that 85 bears have died from the estimated population of 717, and that the mortality rate of grizzly bears is unsustainable, especially with the high number of female grizzly deaths. Louisa Willcox’s article on counterpunch also highlights the fact that the US federal government is proposing to delist grizzly bears from the Endangered Species Act this year. The plan is to remove their protection and pave the way for sport hunting, putting the grizzly bear population more at risk.
 
Grizzly Bear Death Data
 
The US Geological Survey is responsible for collecting data on the bear population of Yellowstone National Park, but unfortunately the full annual report for 2015 has still not been published. Only a report summary has been released this past August to mediate public outcry. But nonetheless, the summary offers enough data to be concerned about the livelihood of grizzly bears.
 
The US Geological Survey’s Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) found that in 2015 there were 61 known grizzly deaths and 24 thought to have died from human causes but were left unreported. With 11% of the estimated population of 717 grizzlies dead in 2015, a new record has been set.
 
The IGBST also found that 25 bears were adolescent and reproductive, causing much concern on their population health. Government protocol states that no more than 18 females or 7.6% of the total population can be killed or the population will experience inevitable decline. The deaths of female bears no only compromise population health, but also have consequences for cubs whose mothers have died. It will be more difficult to survive without having their moms teach them how to forage and other survival techniques.
 
Why Is The Grizzly Bear Population Declining?
 
The downward trend of the grizzly bear population is largely due to the loss of their main food sources, cutthroat trout and whitebark pine. Out of necessity grizzly bears have shifted their diets to forage for cows and big game. Unfortunately, with the loss of native food sources and shift in diet, they are now in conflict with ranchers and hunters.
 
Not only has a decline in their food sources caused a problem for the grizzly population, but poaching and illegal hunting have also become an issue. 19 bear deaths from 2015 are currently being investigated as potential poaching cases. Deaths under investigation fall into three categories: hunter-related incidents, self-defence kills, and hunters mistaking grizzlies for black bears.
 
There have been some cases where bears have been killed for mere human pleasure. For example, the case of the five grizzly bears in Wyoming’s remote Thorofare area. The group of hunters watched the group of grizzlies feeding on the carcass of an elk which they previously killed. The bears did not sneak up on the hunters or show aggression which would put them in a life-death situation, but the hunters shot the group of bears anyways. They weren’t prosecuted, as many cases like these aren’t. This is the reality that grizzly bears face.
 
In 2010 a grizzly bear was also killed as it approached an outfitter camp in the Teton Wilderness. With some investigation it seems likely that the protocol for dealing with grizzlies at camps was not followed. A worker shot the bear in the chest and abdomen instead of first trying to scare them away with noise, shooting fire crackers or releasing dogs.
 
Push for Delisting
 
There is much contention on the delisting of grizzly bears from the Endangered Species Act. There is the fear that the grizzly bear population will reach a critical low once hunters are given free reign to kill grizzly bears. Could the 2015 annual report be incognito because of all the concerning news it contains about the grizzly bear population? It seems that government bureaucrats are more in favour of the delisting than conserving the country’s grizzly bear population.
 
There are folks backlashing against the delisting of grizzlies such as Dan Wenk, the Yellowstone National Park Superintendent, and David Vela, Grand Teton Park Superintendent. They are protesting against the state’s plans to allow the hunting of grizzlies outside of the park boundaries. They’re also retaliating against the state’s exclusion of the Park Service in negotiations for post-delisting hunting policies.
 
Government agencies don’t seem to be listening to scientists, grizzly bear advocates and the Indian Tribes in opposition of the delisting. There are about 50 Tribes who have spoken out and said that because of spiritual and cultural connections they are opposed to the hunting of grizzlies. Unfortunately they were deemed by bureaucrats as “out of touch with reality.”
 
Call for Action
 
The sad truth is that state agencies seem to be out of touch with the reality of grizzly bear populations declining. So far in 2016 there are 27 known deaths in the national park, and if you factor in an estimate of unreported deaths then the number is closer to 38. And unfortunately, the issue of bear deaths is under-reported in the media. Instead of standing by and watch trophy hunting take the political agenda, we must push for grizzly bear conservation.
 
We must push for more transparency on data regarding grizzly bears so they aren’t concealed for the hidden agenda of delisting them from the Endangered Species Act. There must also be a push for bear education for state bureaucrats, hunters, and the general public. We must find a way to cohabit with bears, give them space to be wild, and help restore their native food sources. Grizzly bears have already taken a death toll within the national park, and it would be a shame to see their populations decline further or disappear altogether for future generations.