Are Grizzlies Still Endangered?

- Grizzly bears, there's so much controversy there, mostly because they're still protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The grizzly bears in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, they've recovered more than seven times of what they were, and so Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have petitioned for the grizzly bears to be taken off the list, and that is on the table right now.

That is the intention of the Endangered Species Act, is that an animal recovers and then they're delisted.

The majority of Wyoming wants that to happen.

The ranchers want that to happen.

The hunting community wants that to happen.

But the argument for keeping them on the list is that we're not seeing any gene flow between the distinct populations.

Here in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, we've got a really healthy population.

Up in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier National Park, you have another population of grizzly bears.

And there has not been gene flow between those two populations, meaning there's a genetic bottleneck.

Grizzly bears need connected landscapes and corridors in order to make that gene flow possible.

Recovery, in many people's opinion, would be defined by when those two populations can interbreed.

Some people would argue that we should let that happen first before they're delisted.

If they get delisted, they're gonna get hunted.

399 nine's behavior is a great behavior within a national park.

If there was a hunting season for grizzlies, it would be a horrible behavior to be that tolerant of people.

If there was a hunting season, it would actually be some of these roadside bears that would be the first to go.