Mountain States Legal Foundation, which has for years been involved in litigation related to federally protected grizzly bears, today welcomed the news that Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has formally petitioned the federal government to remove the animal from the list of threatened species, with the support of Montana and Idaho, two other grizzly-impacted states. Gordon noted in a press release that grizzly populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have been fully recovered since 2003.
“This is an extraordinary and monumental success story for species recovery and should be celebrated,” Gordon said. “The GYE grizzly bear is ready to join the ranks of the bald eagle, American alligator, peregrine falcon and brown pelican as receiving proper recognition as a thriving, recovered and stable species.”
MSLF Senior Attorney Joseph Bingham said removal from the list was necessary in order to give impacted states a stronger hand in managing the apex predator, and to allow residents of these states to protect themselves and others, as well as their livestock and other property, when dangerous bruin-human encounters occur.
“People have the right to defend their families and their animals against grizzly bear attacks,” said Bingham. “Returning management of the grizzly population to the states – the communities directly affected by grizzlies’ presence – is an important step toward appropriately balancing the competing interests at stake.”
