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Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear is a magnificent animal that because of his beautiful coat has been hunted for its pelt to grace the floor of people's rooms before their fireplaces. The primeval fear that has been generated from this giant has made him the tale of legends, when in reality he just wants to be left alone unless provoked or startled.
He has been hunted to virtual extension in the lower 48 states except in those states where there are enough virgin forestland for him to exist. This denizen of the forest who Davy Crockett grinned down no longer roams most of the west where it once was found. Through loss of habitat as well as its natural food sources it has slowly been pushed back into the deep forests and up in Canada where it still finds the land to roam freely.
The grizzly bear once roamed the entire western half of North America. Now driven into the most remote wilderness areas left, it is still found in far western and northern Canada, Alaska, and a few remnant locations in Idaho, Washington, Montana, and Wyoming, where it is listed as threatened.
The grizzly is a prime example of a species pushed to near extinction in the continental United States by acts of people driven by fear. Like other imperiled bear species, the grizzly population has been severely reduced by relentless, unregulated hunting and habitat loss; as few as 1,000 may remain in the lower 48 states. Logging, recreational use of its wooded habitat, and illegal poaching are continued threats.
Grizzly bear populations recover slowly due to a very low reproductive rate, and efforts to reintroduce grizzlies to former habitat have stimulated huge controversies. The highest priorities of grizzly conservationists are habitat protection, minimization of conflicts with people in bear habitat, and reintroduction projects. Citizen education and involvement in reintroduction strategies such as those offered by the National Wildlife Federation can help advance efforts to increase grizzly populations in the United States.
