The Grizzly Bear Success Story: Ready to Delist?

In about 40 years, the Yellowstone grizzly population has gone from less than 200, to more than 700. "Don't feed the bears" signs have been replaced by bear-proof garbage cans and the grizzly bears have adapted.

"Diets over time as things change in the ecosystem," said Frank Van Manen, IGBC Study Team Member. "A good example of that is once anthropogenic foods were not really available to bears anymore, after the dump closures, after all the work agencies put in to preventing bears getting access to anthropogenic foods, you see that reflected."
Individual bear's diets adapted. Those near lake, eating fish - those up higher, White Bark Pine. Flowers and grasses and ants remain fairly constant. Researchers also point to new cubs being born to show that Yellowstone's grizzlies are finding things to eat.

"Not really many single cub litters, which we typically see after a good food year," said Mark Haroldson, another IGBC STudy Team Member. "We get a lot of twins a lot of triplets and we had evidence of three 4-cub litters last year."
Right now the U-S Fish and Wildlife service is looking at that success, and considering delisting the yellowstone grizzly as a threatened or endangered species.

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