Grizzly Numbers Hit New High in Yellowstone Region
At least 603 grizzly bears now roam the greater Yellowstone area of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, according to the latest count of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team that monitors them.
That's more than three times the population of 1975, when estimates were as low as 136 to 200, and grizzlies were added to the endangered species list, said Kerry Gunther of Yellowstone National Park's Bear Management Office. Included in the latest count is the park grizzly that had four cubs in spring; all four were still alive in late October.
While the population increase marks success for this endangered species, it comes with a parallel increase in the number of bear/human interactions. That's because the growing grizzly population is spreading out. It now covers more than 22,000 square miles, including terrain grizzlies haven't inhabited for a century that humans now do.
Wyoming has experienced a record 251 bear-human conflicts this year, from the mauling of hunters to garbage can destruction. Two men have been killed, one west of Cody, Wyoming, and another near Cooke City, Montana. The towns of Gardiner and West Yellowstone, Montana, and parts of the North and South Forks of the Shoshone River west of Cody are conflict "hot spots."
All of those incidents have occurred outside the park, but Yellowstone has lent its expertise to Gardiner and West Yellowstone when asked, Gunther said. In Gardiner, which is headquarters for the Yellowstone Association, more citizens are using bear-proof garbage cans and trash station fencing likely will be fortified.
For more information on the current status of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,
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