New Law Could Ship Grizzly Bears From Wyoming To California
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed a new law last week that could potentially relocate grizzly bears trapped outside of Yellowstone National Park to California.
The law authorizes the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to conduct a grizzly bear hunt and includes a clause allowing the state to ship problem bears to other states.
"Grizzly bears are trapped and relocated in Wyoming and in some cases are euthanized for livestock depredation, property damage or endangerment of human life. If the game and fish commission determines under the laws of the state of Wyoming that extraterritorial relocation would be beneficial for managing Wyoming's wildlife and protecting Wyoming workers and other citizens and tourists of the state, the game and fish commission may relocate to the state of California, to states with a grizzly bear population below the threshold for Endangered Species Act protection or to other willing states with suitable habitat all grizzly bears trapped for relocation."
Last year, a federal judged called off a proposed grizzly bear hunt in Wyoming, which was announced after the U.S. Department of the Interior delisted grizzlies in the Yellowstone ecosystem from the Endangered Species Act in 2017.
Although the iconic image of a grizzly adorns the California flag, the species has been extinct in the state for nearly 100 years. In 2014, an attempt to reintroduce grizzlies in California was rejected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.