Grizzly bear studies in Yellowstone National Park will become a bit more intense in the coming weeks as wildlife biologists head into the backcountry to trap bears and gather data.
The effort marks the 37th consecutive fall that members of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team have gone into the park's backcountry to learn more about grizzlies.
According to a release from the park, this long-term monitoring and research effort provides critical information used to monitor the status of the grizzly bear in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. This and other data helps wildlife managers devise and implement programs to support the ongoing recovery of the grizzly bear population, according to officials.
In the coming weeks biologists "will attempt to trap bears at several remote sites in Yellowstone National Park. Once trapped, the bears are sedated to allow wildlife biologists to conduct scientific studies of the grizzlies in accordance with long-established protocols."
Park visitors are unlikely to come across any of the trapping efforts, as none of the sites selected for the work are near established hiking trails or backcountry campsites.
"All trap sites will have a posted perimeter. Potential access points will also be posted with warning signs," said Yellowstone officials, who added that, "In the very unlikely event that backcountry users were to come upon one of these posted areas, they need to heed the warning and stay out of the posted area."
Back in June a part-time Cody, Wyoming, resident was mauled to death when he came upon a grizzly boar that had been drugged by wildlife biologists so they could fit it with a radio collar to expand their knowledge of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem’s grizzly population.
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The primary reason the bears are being trapped is to get an accurate estimate on the grizzly population in the Yellowstone region so grizzlies can be removed from the list of species protected by the Endangered Species Act. Once Yellowstone area grizzlies are delisted, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho will open legal hunting seasons on grizzlies. The grizzly population is now estimated at 600 bears, but after delisting the goal is 500 bears. With the loss of cutthroat trout and whitebark pine, many informed people are skeptical the "primary conservation area" for grizzlies can sustain 500 bears.
Thanks for the added details, Dave. It will be interesting to see how the Yellowstone ecosystem bears fare with fewer cutthroat and pine nuts.