Montana News
Wildlife officials relocate Glacier-area grizzlies to encourage genetic exchange — and delisting
Two grizzly bears were trucked from northwest Montana to the Yellowstone ecosystem this week. MTPR's John Hooks reports the transfer is part of a multi-state effort to remove grizzlies from the endangered species list. Wildlife officials in Montana and Wyoming are shipping bears across ecosystems in an attempt to meet court-imposed conditions to delist their grizzly populations and take over management from the federal government. A federal court in 2019 ruled Yellowstone's grizzlies could not be delisted until they achieved reliable genetic exchange with bears in and around Glacier National Park. Scientists say roaming grizzlies are only a few years away from connecting the ecosystems themselves, but Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming are not waiting. The three states signed an agreement this year promising to transfer at least one bear per generation from Glacier down to Yellowstone. The first transfers this week relocated one young male and one young female. In a statement, Governor Greg Gianforte said the transfer demonstrated the state's commitment to grizzly conservation and called on the federal government to delist their populations. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the grizzlies endangered status and says it expects to have a decision by January 2025. In Butte, I'm John Hooks.