Fish and Game Responds to Judge’s Order to Restore Grizzly Bear Protection

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – Grizzly bears may be happy – but grizzly bear hunters are not.

A federal district judge on Monday ordered that federal protection of grizzly bears be reinstated in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which includes parts of Idaho.

That means the one grizzly bear tag that was issued in July in Idaho has been canceled. Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials say they are disappointed with the judge’s order.

“Putting the Yellowstone grizzly population back on the endangered species list is a setback for grizzly bear conservation,” Idaho Fish and Game Director Virgil Moore said in a news release issued Tuesday, a day after the Montana judge reinstated the order.

“Idaho wildlife managers have worked for decades with local communities, our sister states, and federal agencies to build a healthy Yellowstone population. Given the social and scientific investment we’ve made in grizzly bear recovery, this ruling is a big disappointment. We can’t reconcile this court outcome with the conservation success so many worked hard to achieve.”

Not everyone is unhappy, however. According to reporting done by the Associated Press, the ruling was a victory for wildlife advocates and Native American tribes that sued when the Interior Department revoked federal protections, arguing that the animals face continued threats from climate change and loss of habitat.