Yesterday I joined dozens of grizzly bear advocates in Lander, Wyoming, to speak out against the state’s plan that allows nearly two dozen grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region to be killed in a trophy hunt this fall. Tribal leaders testified eloquently about their long-standing cultural connections to the grizzly bear, considered a sacred relative since time immemorial. Many spoke about the continued threats that these bears face, and they questioned why Wyoming is rushing to initiate a hunt so soon after Endangered Species protections were removed last summer.
But after two hours of public testimony -- the majority in opposition to the hunt -- the Game and Fish Commission voted unanimously to approve it, once again displaying the state’s historic bias against large carnivores. The state admits it wants to drive down the grizzly bear population, currently estimated at only around 700 bears, and says that there’s no need for the “extra” bears outside of a monitoring area adjacent to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. In that area, known as “Zone 7,” the state will even allow baiting of grizzly bears.
Grizzly bears are the second-slowest mammal to reproduce in North America; it takes a female approximately ten years to replace herself in the population. That’s why it has taken more than four decades for the Yellowstone grizzly population to increase from a low of about 150 bears, when they were given Endangered Species Act protections, to about 700 today. That’s most of my life and, still, grizzlies in the Yellowstone region have not reached full recovery. Wyoming’s plan will allow 13 female grizzlies to be killed by trophy hunters. It’s unconscionable, and it will seriously threaten continued grizzly bear recovery.
Under Wyoming’s plan, starting in September bears could be shot as soon as they step over the border of the national parks. That’s surely going to generate national outrage, especially if an internationally loved bear like 399 dies from a hunter’s bullet. Remember Cecil the lion? What’s even more devastating is the fact that pregnant females will be trying to fatten up just as the hunt starts. But trophy hunters don’t care about any of that.
The vast majority of Americans are against trophy hunting of grizzly bears. On the drive from Bozeman, Montana, to the meeting in Lander, I drove through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and it was clear the summer season was already underway. Park surveys have repeatedly shown that people come to see wildlife -- especially bears and wolves. I’m lucky to be able to go to Yellowstone every weekend if I want to, living in Bozeman. But for many, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I have seen firsthand the joy and awe of kids and their parents seeing a grizzly bear (from a safe distance) in its natural environment, for the first time. That will be the story they tell and the highlight of their trip. Unfortunately, grizzly bears don’t recognize our manmade boundaries, and after 44 years of protection, they won’t know that this fall they could be shot in Wyoming if they step over that park boundary.
But the fight to protect Greater Yellowstone’s grizzly bears is far from over. The Sierra Club and our allies are challenging the removal of Endangered Species Act protections for Yellowstone’s grizzlies in court, and we expect a decision by the end of August, before Wyoming’s (and Idaho’s) trophy hunting begins. We will continue working with Tribal Nations and many others in opposition to a hunt. We invite you to get involved and join us in these efforts to protect Yellowstone’s majestic, irreplaceable grizzly bears.