USA: Grizzly Bears Back Under Protection

The grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park in the USA are once again under protection. According to a court ruling, the US agency FWS had wrongfully stripped the bears of their protected status in June 2017.

The removal of the animals from the list of endangered species was “arbitrary and capricious,” ruled Judge Dana Christensen from the US state of Montana. The court decision, handed down on Monday, prevents hobby hunting of grizzlies in the area surrounding the national park.

Conservation authority exceeded its powers

Christensen explained that the case was not about the “ethics of hobby hunting.” He had been required to examine whether the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had exceeded its legal authority in making its decision. The conservation authority had failed to assess how removing the approximately 700 grizzly bears living around Yellowstone National Park from the list of endangered species would affect other grizzly populations.

A victory for bears and conservationists

Several Native American tribes and animal welfare advocates had taken the matter to court after the conservation authority stripped the grizzlies of their protected status. At the end of August, Christensen had already issued a preliminary injunction blocking a hobby hunt that would have allowed up to 23 bears in the region to be shot. It would have been the first hobby hunt targeting the animals around the national park in 40 years.

“This is a victory for the bears and for all the people who come to this region to see the grizzly in its natural habitat,” said Tim Preso, a lawyer representing conservationists. More on wildlife and biodiversity.