User:Adflatuss/Repopulation of grizzly bears in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and northwest Montana are the only areas south of Canada that still have large grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) populations. Grizzly bears were federally listed in the lower 48 states as a threatened species in 1975 due to unsustainable levels of human-caused mortality, habitat loss, and significant habitat alteration. Grizzly bears may range over hundreds of square miles, and the potential for conflicts with human activities, especially when human food is present, makes the presence of a viable grizzly population a continuing challenge for its human neighbors in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. - Approximately 150–200 with home ranges wholly or partially in Yellowstone National Park. As of 2021, 1,063 estimated in greater Yellowstone. - Currently listed as a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act. Scientists and managers believe the grizzly population is doing well. Grizzlies are raising cubs in nearly all portions of the greater Yellowstone area and dispersing into new habitat. Currently, they occupy 27,208 square miles in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). The states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho have all petitioned the US Fish and Wildlife Service to consider removing GYE grizzlies from Threatened Species status. - The estimated Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population increased from 136 in 1975 to a peak of 1,063 (estimated) in 2021. The bears have gradually expanded their occupied habitat by more than 50%. As monitored by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, the criteria used to determine whether the population within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has recovered include estimated population size, distribution of females with cubs, and mortality rates. The number of females producing cubs in the park has remained relatively stable since 1996, suggesting that the park may be at or near ecological carrying capacity for grizzly bears. There were 78 known or probable grizzly bear mortalities in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in 2021 including 55 inside and 23 outside of the Demographic Monitoring Area. There were four known grizzly bear deaths inside the park. One visitor was injured by a grizzly bear in 2021.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service.