ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Judge Overturns Ruling On Grizzly Bear Hunting Proposed By Trump Administration

Judge Overturns Ruling On Grizzly Bear Hunting Proposed By Trump Administration

The bears were stripped of their endangered status in 2017 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

A judge has overruled the US Government, led by Donald Trump, to reinstate the protection offered to grizzly bears in and around the Yellowstone National Park.

It had been thought that if protection was lifted the bears would be subject to the park's first trophy hunt in decades.

The judge, Dana Christensen said that in removing the protection - the Trump Administration had failed to consider the ongoing long-term survival of the species.

The bears were stripped of their endangered status in 2017 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, along with around 700 bears in the Rocky Mountains. That gave the go-ahead to those who want to hunt bears in Idaho and Wyoming.

PA

However, legal challenges from various groups including Native Americans - for whom the grizzly bear is of religious significance - and conservationists, have led to the federal protections being reintroduced.

That means that, contrary to the fears of those groups, the first grizzly bear hunt in the area for nearly 30 years will not be able to take place.

Judge Christensen said that the long-term survival of the grizzly bear species had not been considered properly by those responsible for lifting the status, but also added that the case was 'not about the ethics of hunting'.

PA

The grizzly bear has been significantly depleted in the USA outside of Yellowstone, but numbers have increased in the national park. It remains one of the few places where this has been the case, as more than 50,000 bears used to roam the United States.

The decision came to the delight of environmentalists and conservationists, but to the disappointment of farmers and state officials who are responsible for the bears.

Tim Preso, who represented the environmental legal organisation EarthJustice said: "The grizzly is a big part of why the Yellowstone region remains among our nation's last great wild places.

"This is a victory for the bears and for people from all walks of life who come to this region to see the grizzly in its natural place in the world."

PA

Andrea Santarsiere, a lawyer for the Centre for Biological Diversity, also said: "Facing ongoing threats and occupying a fraction of their historic range, grizzly bears are nowhere near recovery.

"These beautiful and beleaguered animals certainly shouldn't be shot for cheap thrills or a bearskin rug."

Of those who were in favour of the government's lifting of the protection, farmers argued that the protection means that the bear population will grow unchecked, whereas Wyoming's governor Matt Mead said that his state had spent $50m (£38m) on managing bears over a 15-year period.

PA

Under the changes to the Endangered Species Act proposed by the Trump administration, 'threatened' species will not receive the same protection as 'endangered' species.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Animals