Three conservation advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Missoula challenging the federal government's policies for killing and moving grizzly bears.
The suit, brought by Wild Earth Guardians, Trap Free Montana and Western Watersheds Project, argues that the U.S. Wildlife Services has not sufficiently looked at the broader effects of their policies with grizzly-human conflicts.
The suit is against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Grizzly bears are federally managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.
The plaintiffs argue that the federal government hasn’t looked into how their policies for killing and dispersing the bears could impact the long-term connectivity and population of grizzlies in Montana.
The groups have requested an environmental analysis be done on the effects of the Wildlife Services’ program for grizzly bears in Montana.
USDA Wildlife Services told MTPR it does not comment on ongoing or filed lawsuits.