Grizzly Overcrowding

The crowding of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem could spell problems in the years ahead.  That’s according to discussions during last week’s winter meeting of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.  Spokesman Gregg Losinski says as the bears range further to seek food, there is a higher likelihood they will get into trouble, and then the options for dealing with them will be greatly diminished.  Losinski says the public needs to take more ownership of the situation and be willing to make decisions that are appropriate for living and recreating in bear country.  That includes being smart about behavior in the woods or even hanging bird feeders in their yards. Losinski says as bear habitats fill, the bears that would be relocated will instead have to be destroyed since state legislation and wildlife commission rules in some of the states prohibit relocating them to other ecosystems that aren’t as crowded.