Stop the Grizzly Bear Cull!

Officials may "take" (kill) 15 grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region after a recent decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service approved the cull.

Officials would kill bears in Grand Teton National Park and the Upper Green River area of northwest Wyoming. FWS believes that the cull would still allow bear populations to remain stable. Conservation groups disagree. When combined with the other anticipated killing of Yellowstone-area bears, the cull of 15 grizzlies could weaken the population of female bears, pushing the species into decline.

According to Bonnie Rice of Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign, “The Fish and Wildlife Service has repeatedly increased the number of grizzly bears that can be killed, without looking at the broader impact on grizzly recovery in the region. Taken together, the anticipated 'take' would exceed the agency’s own limit for female grizzly bear deaths by more than three times. With a slow reproducing animal like the grizzly bear, those numbers would have significant long-term consequences on grizzly recovery."

FWS has a duty to look at the big picture and protect our endangered species. Please sign the petition to urge FWS, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service to reconsider their approval of the Yellowstone-area grizzly bear killings.