Two Montana Republicans reignited calls to have the grizzly bear removed from the federal threatened and endangered species list after a hiker was killed.
After a woman was killed in an apparent grizzly bear attack in Montana over the weekend, two state Republicans are calling for grizzlies to be removed as a protected species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
With less than 2,000 grizzlies across the 48 contiguous states, the grizzly bear is considered a “threatened species” and protected under the ESA, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). It is illegal to “harm, harass or kill” these bears, except in cases of self-defense or the defense of others, FWS notes on its website.
A female hiker was killed “in an encounter with a bear” on Saturday on the Buttermilk Trail near the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, officials with the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP) confirmed in a statement Monday shared on Facebook. FWP wardens and bear specialists determined that the woman had “wounds consistent with a bear attack.”
“They also found tracks from an adult grizzly bear and at least one cub near the site,” FWP said.
The suspected grizzly attack reignited calls to “delist” and remove federal protections for grizzlies in certain parts of the U.
