29 Dec 2004 REUTERS/Adrees Latif, courtesy New York Times, page A12, December 30, 2004
Posted on 12/30/2004 9:50:55 AM PST by OESY
BILLINGS, Mont., Dec. 29 (AP) - Thirty-one grizzly bears in and around Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana have died this year as a result of human actions, the largest total in any year since grizzlies were listed as a threatened species three decades ago and about double the number killed in 2003.
Seven were hit by trains or cars. Ten were killed illegally, often shot and left to die. Thirteen were killed by wildlife officials because they had menaced humans or otherwise become a nuisance. One was killed in self-defense.
State and federal wildlife officials attribute the rise in part to the movement of more people into bear territory and a poor berry crop that pushed more grizzlies out of the woods in search of food. Those officials say the number is not yet cause for alarm.
But some environmentalists are concerned, not only about the grizzlies around Glacier but also about those around Yellowstone National Park, where run-ins with hunters have accounted for nearly half the 19 grizzly bear deaths in 2004 and where a government proposal to drop federal protection for grizzlies could come as early as next year.
"I think we're moving way too rapidly, given the warning signs on the horizon," said Louisa Willcox, director of the wild bears project of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Livingston, Mont. "We should take heed and slow down and really look at, and solve, the problems."
Hunting and habitat loss contributed to the grizzlies' decline in the West early in the 20th century, and in 1975 those in the lower 48 states were listed as threatened under the newly adopted Endangered Species Act. At the time, the number of grizzlies in the Yellowstone ecosystem was probably 200 to 250. Today the estimate ranges from 550 to 600, maybe more.
Chris Servheen, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's grizzly bear recovery coordinator in Missoula, Mont., calls the rise in the Yellowstone population "the greatest success in the Endangered Species Act." The move to drop Yellowstone's grizzlies from federal protection will not affect those in and around Glacier, where the population is estimated at 500.
Of the 19 human-caused grizzly deaths in the Yellowstone region this year, at least 7 are attributed to hunters' acting in self-defense. Wildlife officials have killed an additional 7 that rummaged through people's trash and yards for food or otherwise came into conflict with humans.
The total of 19 at Yellowstone is comparable to the numbers there in past years, Mr. Servheen said.
But the nine females that have died there exceed thresholds set in 1993 by federal and state agencies to aid the bears' recovery.
Environmentalists find that figure troubling, given how slowly grizzlies reproduce. Bears can be 5 or 6 years old before they have their first cubs.
Mr. Servheen said officials were studying what steps could be taken to address the issue.
Wildlife officials and private organizations work with homeowners and others in bear country, helping them take steps to keep bears away, like using special dogs, electric fences and bear-proof containers for food or trash.
"People in these communities will decide recovery in the long run," said Heidi Godwin of the Sierra Club in Bozeman, Mont. "If they don't coexist or have tolerance, bears are going to die."
29 Dec 2004 REUTERS/Adrees Latif, courtesy New York Times, page A12, December 30, 2004
...Criminal INSANITY reigns at the NYT.
Yes, with all the other "to-do" items in the world recently, concern over Grizzly bear deaths should certainly be a priority...
In the NYT's defense, not EVERY article should be written about the tsunami. There IS other news out there as well.
Anybody with any sense at ALL would never just shoot one of these monsters and leave it to die. I'd shoot it until I was out of ammo, and I always carry lots of ammo. I wouldn't want to take the chance that that thing would take a swat at me with its dying breath.
This bears looking into.
Yes, and this would certainly qualify as news to the NYTimes' audience.
I vote to move the threatened bears to a site in New York City. Surely they have safe havens for them there. We can't be worried about the risk to people if we are trying to save the bears.
YES! We must find out more about Scott Peterson.
I consider it news as well. The article isn't saying that the deaths were unnecessary, just giving the information. I find it interesting because it has as much to do with changes in bear behavior as anything else.
So the sky is falling on the grizzlies? Good!
That was a truly grisly pun.
Central Park?
It'd sure keep the muggers home after dark.....:)
How wouldja know?
Reading that it might be 4 or 5 years until they have their first cub just might indicate that this critter was destined for extinction. God's funny like that!!
Just lookin for a pick-a-nik basket Mr Ranger sir. BooBoo
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