The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today removed grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone region from the Endangered Species List.
Since those federal protections were instituted in 1975, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population has climbed from 136 to roughly 700, according to the National Park Service.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the decision to remove the Yellowstone grizzlies, calling the growth in population "one of America's great conservation success".
"This achievement stands as one of America's great conservation successes", he said.
This is a developing story and will be updated. "I appreciate that the FWS is proceeding now with the delisting".
They say the animals remain at risk due to their shrinking natural habitat and a dwindling supply of a main food source, whitebark pine, due to climate change, which has swollen the population of insects who destroy the trees. The removal of federal safeguards sets the stage for planned trophy hunting seasons in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho in a kill zone outside the boundaries of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
"Grizzly bears have met or exceeded recovery objectives since 2003 and have long warranted delisting".
The rule will not affect four other smaller federally protected grizzly populations in parts of Montana, Idaho and Washington state.
Furthermore, the center says the ongoing threats that Yellowstone grizzly bears face will be exacerbated by trophy hunting.
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In 2016, the Obama administration proposed delisting the bears again.
The Yellowstone Grizzly bear will soon be released from federal protection, and managed by the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd visited Yellowstone past year, and spoke to the park's bear biologist, Kerry Gunther, about how the grizzly population has changed over the decades and how to stay safe.
The bears roam both inside and outside the park, and their range has been expanding as their numbers have grown. It's taking the bear off the endangered species list.
Any decision to hunt bears in Wyoming will likely happen next year after the public has time to comment, a Wyoming Game and Fish Department official told The Daily Caller News Foundation. We applaud Secretary Zinke and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for making this decision. The Interior Department said the bears have since "been able to find other food sources".
The final rule, and the supporting documents will publish in coming days in the Federal Register and the rule will take effect 30 days after publication. Last year, states dusted off old plans for bear management, in anticipation of a delisting decision.
A delisting, if it is borne out after lawsuits are settled, doesn't mean the federal government would be completely divorced from dealing with the bears.
"It's incredibly disturbing to see the Trump administration end protections for these beloved Yellowstone bears even as their numbers are falling", said Santarsiere.
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