The future for Grizzly Bears. Do recovery and recreational killing have to go hand-in-hand?
This article by Franz Camenzind celebrates the positive steps that have been made in the broad ranging efforts and collaborations to have a viable grizzly bear population in the lower 48. Scientifically the bear is certainly in a better place than it was 40 years ago, but it seems to be lagging as far as our culture’s willingness to accommodate bears in ever fragmented landscapes. We need to ask why modern wildlife biology has been able to achieve stronger numbers of bears in the face of decreasing habitat and food supply, yet modern state managers willingly acquiesce to the social demands to kill for recreation. How ironic that 21st century science has enabled recovery only to cater to hunting demands reminiscent of the dark ages!
