As humans push ever further into remaining wilderness, contact with grizzly bear, Arctos ursus horribilis is becoming problematical. As its latin nomenclature impies grizzlys are nothing like your childhood stuffed toy. They are ravenous eaters, territorial and equipped to kill with one swipe of their huge paws. Fortunately confronting a hungry bear that stands over seven foot on its hind legs is less likely than being hit by lightening. [photo credit: Getty Images] We want bears to survive into the future, so we must give them room to roam and learn to coexist peacefully. Tragic incidents do occur as in the tiny rural hamlet of Ovando, MT when a sixty-five year old woman was mauled to death in her tent in July. Her attacker, a male bear looking for food, was tracked down and killed. The last time a bear was killed near Ovando was two decades ago.
The number of people wanting a slice mountain paradise or visiting parks is growing. The human population of western Montana, a grizzly stronghold, has increase by one-third over the past decade. Gizzlies once numbered 50,000 strong from Alaska to central Mexico. Habitat loss and two centuries of conflict with humans have decimated to the species in the lower forty-eight states to the point thay are listed as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act since 1975. After a recent review of status by the Fish & Wildlife Service, the bears have retained their protected status. A slow, but steady increase in bear population has occurred. Grizzlies are considered recovered in the Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems, but they are assessed as a single population throughout he contiguous US.
Removing a species that occupy only 3% of its historic range would condemn them to genetic isolation and eventual extinction. Ceeding domination of some wilderness to the gerat bear is necessary, but conservative politicians in western range states have reacted negatively to expanding zones of protection for the bear. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, a Republican, has been given two bills for his signature– one that would strip grizzlies of endangered species protections, and another that would allow people to shoot the bears if they damage property rather than just in a situation where someone’s life was in danger. Such regressive attitudes are to say the least, counterproductive. It is illegal to harm, harass, or kill these threatened bears, except in cases of self defense or the defense of others.
Connecting bear concentrations in the northwest Rockies and Cascades is essential to genetic diversity. The map shows the current distribution of bears in the lower US:
Most grizzlies avoid any contact with people, and those deemed too interested in us can be trapped, darted and relocated. Of course every human has the right of self-defense. The chances of a visitor to Yellowstone National Park begin attacked is one in 2.7 million visits. Being conscious of sharing the landscape with a large, intelligent carnivore may require more work on the part of humans who want to live closer to Nature. Erecting solar powered electric fencing and removal of carcasses and securing garbage are obvious steps to take. Have your can of bear spray handy, too.