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Show The grizzly bear has been iL'irii as & threatened species n 1 he lower 48 stales by interior's U.S. Fish and t idiile Service, Lynn A. GTena.ilt. director. ' A RULEMAKING to this ttleu is published in the Frfrri: Register on July 28. : faction means that the v u tdT, an aggressive timal highly intolerant of "jri. now receives Federal r iection under the Endan-jTTd Endan-jTTd Sptties Act. I EXCEPT FOR limited cir-i'-msiances prescribed by Mlation, it is now unlawful ill. capture, harm, harass. ,rt, or export a grizzly ar anywhere m the lower 48 siw or to sell any parts or "ouctsof grizzlies in interior inter-ior furei);n commerce. Although (he grizzly population has remained fairly stable for the last 50 years, increasing human activity ac-tivity such as road building and developments that affect the grizzly's remaining habitat habi-tat has prompted its listing as a threatened species. TODAY SEVERAL hundred grizzlies survive in the United Slates south of Canada. Their range has been reduced to the point where virtually all occur oc-cur in three relatively small ecosystems: The Selway-Bitterroot in Idaho and Montana; the Yellowstone covering parts of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming; Wyom-ing; and the Bob Marshall in Montana. Most of these ecosystems are composed of Federal lands. THE MOST critical factor in the grizzly's past decline has been direct conflict w.th humans. More than any other North American mammal, the grizzly requires large tracts of undisturbed wilderness. wilder-ness. The bears live in isolated pockets of suitable habitat, generally wild country areas just big enough to provide the prey animals and vegetation their omnivorous diet requires. EACH POCKET can support sup-port only a certain number of grizzlies. And any above that number (the surplus) will usually turn to other food sources. The bears, which can stand eight feet and weigh 800 pounds, have been known to attack cattle, ' sneep, ana other livestock under certain conditions. When grizzlies lose their fear of man, people-bear confrontations and conflicts are inevitable. The rulemaking would permit per-mit grizzlies to be taken anywhere in the lower 48 states when they pose a serious threat to humans. AUTHORIZED Federal or State officers could take bears when necessary to prevent significant depredation on lawfully-present livestock. They may also be pursued, captured, collected, or removed by Federal or State officials for scientific or research purposes. IN NORTHWESTERN Montana where bears are more numerous, sport hunting hunt-ing of the bears may continue if the total number of bears killed for all purposes in a given year does not exceed 25. This figure is about five less than have been killed annually an-nually for the past seven years. This quota will apply to the entire area of Montana west of U.S. Highway 91 and north of U.S. Highway 12. including the Bob Marshall ecosystem. PERMITTING a small number of grizzles to be hunted each year keeps' livestock live-stock depredations and human conlrontalions to a minimum. It is essential for the continual con-tinual survival of the grizzly bear species that it maintain its fear of man and thus its distance from man and never become accustomed to human activity. Because of their size, aggressive nature, and remote location, nuisance bears are often difficult to remove or transplant to other locations. THE LISTING of the grizzly bear as a threatened species comes alter a complete review of the bear's status-which status-which was initiated in March 1974. The grizzly population in Alaska, thought to be about 12,000 individuals, is not considered con-sidered threatened at this time. |