Federal District Court Judge Dana Christensen has ordered the federal government to conduct a new analysis of its work to prevent bear-human conflicts — including looking at the bears killed outside of recovery areas. That’s due November 1, of 2026.
Wildlife Services, a division within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is responsible for removing animals that get into conflict with humans. Those removals often involve killing the animal.
Wildlife advocacy groups Trap Free Montana, WildEarth Guardians, and Western Watersheds Project sued the program in 2023, saying its environmental assessment did not sufficiently examine how killing a bear affects the overall population. The court agreed.
The groups estimate Wildlife Services kills an average of 10 grizzly bears in Montana every year.
Wildlife managers agree that connectivity, or the ability for bears to move from one subpopulation to another, is a key component of a successful recovery.
Grizzlies are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Separate from this case, the U.S. Department of the Interior is expected to make a decision on delisting two grizzly subpopulations in early 2025.
-
Wolf trapping season has been shortened in most of western Montana. But for some regions, the area where traps can be set has grown. The changes were made in response to a court decision that found wolf trapping threatens grizzly bears. -
Join us for a panel discussion with experts on all sides of the grizzly debates. We'll try to find a shared vision on how to coexist with bears no matter what comes next. -
A grizzly bear recently killed near Seeley Lake has fish and game officials urging recreationists to be particularly "bear aware" this time of year. -
As grizzly bear populations spread to more areas in the state, so do human-grizzly conflicts. Wildlife managers this week were awarded several million dollars to bolster efforts to promote coexistence and non-lethal prevention tools. -
Montana wildlife managers this week launched a new site for tracking grizzly bear mortalities.
