Yellowstone Grizzly Bear to Lose Endangered Species Protection

Yellowstone Grizzly Bear to Lose Endangered Species Protection<br />Republicans have made numerous proposals to change the law; one bill, introduced by Senator Rand Paul, would require congressional approval to add a species to the list<br />and would delist a species after five years of protection.<br />By JIM ROBBINSJUNE 22, 2017<br />— After 42 years on the endangered species list, the Yellowstone grizzly bear — whose numbers have grown to more<br />than 700 from fewer than 150 — will lose its protected status, the Interior Department announced on Thursday.<br />In deciding to lift the protection, Ryan Zinke, the secretary of the interior, remarked on the long-term efforts<br />that have allowed the bear to thrive: “This achievement stands as one of America’s great conservation successes; the culmination of decades of hard work and dedication on the part of state, tribal, federal and private partners,” Mr. Zinke said in a statement.<br />Delisting the bear, or Ursus arctos horribilis, is opposed by a number of conservation groups and Native American tribes<br />that say climate change has cast the Yellowstone region into ecological uncertainty and could imperil the bear in the future.<br />“We should consider it a great success.”<br />Protecting the grizzly bear, which was one of the first on the list of endangered species under the 1973 law, has been a challenge.<br />Under current law, eliminating threatened species protection for the big bear paves the way for Montana, Idaho<br />and Wyoming to take over responsibility from federal managers outside Yellowstone.