Grisly fate

Vegetarian Times, April, 2005

Thirty-one grizzly, bears at or near Montana's Glacier National Park were killed in 2004, twice as many as the year before and the largest number since they, were officially considered endangered in 1975. The killer? Humans. Thirteen grizzlies were killed by wildlife officials after the bears had menaced humans (most were shot), and seven were hit by cars or trains.

Only one was killed in self-defense. Officials at Yellowstone National Park say that nearly half of its 19 grizzly bear deaths in 2004 also resulted from human contact. Officials of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who attribute the deaths to the presence of more people in the parks and to a poor berry crop that pushed hungry bears out of the woods, note that nevertheless the overall number of grizzlies continues to increase. That's why--despite the outcry of environmentalists--the FWS may drop grizzlies from the endangered species list.