Dethroning The Grizzly Bear
By Maddax Ball
The grizzly bear is one of the most feared and sought after predators in the GYE (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem). The grizzly was nearly forced into extinction and was finally listed under the Endangered Species List in 1975. Since then, the grizzly has made a complete comeback and yet they still are a protected species. “The bears bounced back. From 2002 to 2014, the population within the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, which sprawls across Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, leveled off at around 674. That figure became the government’s target for a healthy population” (Goldfarb). The grizzly bear should not be protected under the Endangered Species List and people should be allowed to hunt them because there are becoming to many bears for the environment to sustain, there are agreements in place that assures the bears population, and how the impact of hunting can improve human safety in the outdoors.
Although many hunters around the GYE support the idea of the grizzly bear delisting, non-hunters and various other groups do not support the delisting. This secondary group argues that even though the bears are making a great recovery, they still face significant threats that should keep them protected. They argue that bears are not fully recovered yet and face threats such as human hunting, climate change and increased road density. “Rather than moving forward with a premature attempt at delisting grizzly bears, the service should recommit itself to the full recovery of grizzly bears within the lower-48” (Wheeler). The grizzly bear is a keystone species and this group is worried that all the factors going against the bears will cause their empire to fall once again.
What the secondary group does not realize about the grizzly bear is that one bear takes up a lot of precious space, meaning habitat. With the amount of new bears coming into the ecosystem and other bears living long and healthy lives, the GYE becomes crowded. This means human interactions from more people wanting to visit Yellowstone become more likely. If the grizzly population is managed with human hunting, it could remain healthy for the ecosystem and make the local outdoors safer. People who are against the grizzly being delisted also argue that climate change negatively affects grizzly bears, but in reality they could benefit them. “As temperatures warm, plants grizzlies rely on will climb higher in elevation, displacing alpine areas. While that displacement will harm some species, it will increase high-quality habitat for the bears'' (Flatt).
The grizzly bear once became endangered and approached extinction, but that is not the case anymore. Grizzlies are becoming a problem, there are too many bears in a small amount of space. The GYE might not seem small, but when there are 800-1000 bears roaming around, it makes the expansive area slowly start to float away. “Now with the bear population exceeding what the ecosystem can support, and it is becoming clear that recovery efforts may have worked too well. Bears are expanding from the GYE and grizzly-related injuries and fatalities have increased as these animals are pushed to the periphery of human habitation” (Mudambi). The bears have taken up all available space in the GYE and are starting to put human lives in more danger. The bears are also hurting their own population because they are depleting their resources and are not leaving enough room for the population to expand. Older bears do not leave much space for younger and more negligent bears as they are greatly territorial. According to Veer Mudambi, “Naturally, these animals will hold tight to their own turf, chasing out younger bears, forcing them to find new territory that brings them into conflict with humans'' (Mudambi). If the bears are taken off the endangered species list and can be hunted, their population can be safely managed in order to keep the GYE in ecological balance.
Hunting grizzly bears would not completely wipe out the population again because there are rules and regulations to make sure the population stays healthy. A new evaluation of the bears population has recently revealed over 1,000 bears to be in the GYE, which is well over the amount that was needed to fully recover the population. If hunting came into play there would be a per capita system which allows for only a certain amount of bears to be killed. People could hunt grizzlies with a limited quota tag until a target number is reached, then hunting would be completely cut off for the year. “Hunting down 69 of the 1,069 grizzlies in the Yellowstone region would work toward the three states’ goal of reducing the population to 932 animals. There would be other thresholds. If the population dipped below 831 bears, hunting within the monitoring area would be “suspended,” according to Wyoming’s petition. Below 600 grizzlies and all so-called “discretionary mortality” would also cease except to protect human safety” (Koshmrl). If the hunting is tightly managed then bears can stay at a healthy population that works well with the environment. The hunting system will not be impeccable at first, but after a few seasons of trial and error, changes can be made to be more efficient. Hunting is not meant for a malicious intent, but for the betterment of the species and environment.
The grizzly bear population is continually growing each and every year. More bears into the wild without a way to control the growth. The consequences of this include the safety of outdoorsmen who have to share the outdoors with these peccant bruins. Activities such as hunting, fishing, horseback riding and hiking are increasing in popularity. With more people in the mountains and bears being forced to move closer to civilization brings about more malaise encounters. Hunting the bears in the GYE will affect its bear population even if they are not directly shot at. “Eastman said grizzly hunting could change the bears’ behavior, making them more wary of humans, which in the long run could benefit both bears and humans.
“Most places I have been where there’s grizzlies and they are hunted there are some instances of conflict with humans. But it is nothing … nothing like the occurrences we have here in the Yellowstone area or up around Glacier Park in Montana,” he said” (Heinz). Bears will realize that they are not alone in the wilderness and therefore encounters will be less likely.
Delisting the grizzly bear and allowing hunting, even though many think it malign, it helps the species in the long-run. They should not be listed under the Endangered Species Act and they should be hunted. The allowance of hunting will improve human safety in the outdoors and ensures bears are not overpopulating the GYE. Hunting would be tightly managed in order to keep the integrity of the species. This is definitely not the end of the Grizzly Bear and people have to realize they are not going anywhere, and, if properly implemented, hunting isn’t doomed to annihilate the grizzly bear population. The Grizzly will always be around and people should be reminded that the possible on going journey of the delisting will only help the species.
Works Cited
Flatt, Courtney. “Study: North Cascades grizzlies could gain more habitat as the climate warms.” Oregon Public Broadcasting, 17 February 2023, https://www.opb.org/article/2023/02/17/study-north-cascades-grizzlies-could-gain-more-habitat-as-the-climate-warms/. Accessed 26 February 2024.
Goldfarb, Ben. “Why Hunting a Single Grizzly Bear Is Such a Big Deal.” Outside Online, 12 May 2022, www.outsideonline.com/culture/opinion/idahos-role-conflict-over-hunting-grizzlies/.
Heinz, Mark. “Hunters Skeptical Over Grizzly Delisting In Wyoming; “It's Like Charlie Brown And The Football.”” Cowboy State Daily, 19 February 2023, https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/02/19/hunters-skeptical-over-grizzly-delisting-in-wyoming-its-like-charlie-brown-and-the-football/. Accessed 16 February 2024.
Koshmrl, Mike. “Grizzly hunt in Wyoming could target upwards of 39 bears.” WyoFile, 20 March 2023, https://wyofile.com/grizzly-hunt-in-wyoming-could-target-upwards-of-39-bears/. Accessed 16 February 2024.
Mudambi, Veer. “A Conservationist Reason For Hunting Grizzly Bears.” Medium, Medium, 6 June 2019, medium.com/@veermudambi_78250/ a-conservationist-reason-for-hunting-grizzly-bears-9e719f87e694.
Wheeler, Perry. “Grizzly Bears Still Need Protections.” Earthjustice, 18 January 2024, https://earthjustice.org/experts/perry-wheeler/grizzly-bears-still-need-protections. Accessed 16 February 2024.