Routes out of isolation for Yellowstone grizzlies

Montana scientists project pathways to wider mating pools in the Northern Rockies, based on characteristic movements of male bears

Date:  October 23, 2017

Source:  Ecological Society of America

Summary:

An interagency team of Montana and Wyoming biologists models possible routes to a reunion of the Yellowstone and Northern Continental bear populations through adventurous male immigrants. An influx of genetic diversity through breeding with outsiders could give the Yellowstone grizzly population greater resiliency to changing environmental conditions.

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Yellowstone grizzly bears face end of endangered species protection

US federal government says recovery of national park population to more than 700 is a ‘historic success’ but conservationists say move is premature

Oliver Milman

Thursday 3 March 2016 22.25 GMT

Last modified on Thursday 3 March 201623.52 GMT

The federal government is proposing to strip endangered species protections from Yellowstone’s famed grizzly bears, with officials claiming a “historic success” in the recovery of the bear population.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said it planned to delist one of the last remaining grizzly populations from the Endangered Species Act, which has protected them since 1975. In this time, the FWS said, the bear population around Yellowstone National Park has rebounded from 136 bears to more than 700.

This recovery has led to calls from Idaho, Montana and Wyoming – the states that contain and surround Yellowstone – to remove the bears from the act’s protection. The states have argued that selling licences for hunting would generate huge sums of revenue and help ranchers who lose livestock to bears.

The FWS has agreed to the delisting as long as a conservation plan is followed to ensure the grizzlies are not imperilled in the future. Currently, the animals cannot be shot or removed unless there are exceptional circumstances.

 “The recovery of the Yellowstone grizzly bear represents a historic success for partnership-driven wildlife conservation under the Endangered Species Act,” said Dan Ashe, director of the FWS.

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Government agencies plan to eliminate 900 wild bison from Yellowstone

JANUARY 6, 2016

by Brett Smith

Government agencies are planning eliminate as many as 900 wild bison from Yellowstone National Park this winter as part of a continuing attempt to reduce the animals' annual migration into Montana by lowering their population.

On Tuesday, park officials unveiled information on plans for a minimum of 600 to 900 bison to be culled by hunters or captured and sent to slaughter. The move would be the biggest culling since 2008, and it represents greater than 18 percent of the existing population of around 4,900 animals.

Bison travel each year from Yellowstone down to their historical winter grazing grounds at lower altitudes in Montana. For the past four decades, concern over the bovine disease brucellosis has motivated the killing of approximately 8,200 park bison.

National Park Service 'uncomfortable' with the practice

Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk said in a statement that the National Park Service was uncomfortable with the practice and considering alternatives, including sending disease-free animals to private, government, or tribal lands.

"The park would gladly reduce the frequency and magnitude of these operations if migrating bison had access to more habitat outside the park or there was a way to transfer live bison elsewhere," Wenk said.

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Grizzly bear deaths rise as Yellowstone population grows

December 30, 2015 by By Mead Gruver

The number of grizzly bear deaths or removals in the Yellowstone region climbed to an all-time high in 2015, but biologists say they're not worried about the animal's long-term survival in the area.

The known or suspected deaths of 55 bears shouldn't interfere with plans to remove the region's grizzlies from protection under the Endangered Species Act, Frank van Manen, leader of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, said Wednesday.

"This year should be considered within the context of what we've seen in terms of the long-term trend," van Manen said.

The team of state and federal scientists and biologists estimates more than 700 grizzlies live in the Yellowstone region spanning parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. That's up from about 600 in 2010 and around 200 in the early 1980s.

Grizzlies first were listed as a threatened species in 1975. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has set a management goal of 674 bears as it moves toward delisting.

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Bear cubs of mother euthanized after Yellowstone attack will go to Ohio zoo

The two female cubs would not survive on their own in the wild, officials say, and will be relocated to the Toledo zoo in the autumn

Reuters in Cleveland, Ohio

Friday 14 August 2015 18.10 BSTLast modified on Friday 14 August 201518.30 BST

Two female grizzly bear cubs orphaned after their mother was euthanized because she was linked to the fatal mauling of a hiker in Yellowstone national park will be moved to a zoo in Toledo, Ohio, zoo officials said on Friday.

The cubs, both less than a year old, were orphaned when their 259lb (117kg) mother was killed on Thursday after DNA testing proved she was involved in the death of hiker Lance Crosby, 63.

The 50-60lb (23-27kg) cubs cannot survive on their own in the wild and will be transferred to a captive facility first before arriving at the Toledo zoo in the fall, zoo officials said.

“Upon their arrival at the zoo, the cubs will undergo standard quarantine processes to ensure their health and wellness before going on exhibit for public viewing,” the zoo said in a statement.

Yellowstone’s announcement that it would kill the mother grizzly to ensure public safety unleashed a torrent of protests from wildlife advocates. Grizzly attacks are rare at the park, which last reported two separate deadly maulings in 2011 involving hikers, the first since 1986.

Randi Meyerson, assistant director of animal programs at the Toledo zoo, said workers will never share the same space as the bears. “Bears are dangerous animals and we don’t go in with them,” she said.

Crosby, a registered nurse from Billings, Montana, suffered wounds to his forearms and elsewhere in the attack by the mother bear and possibly her cubs. He had been reported missing by co-workers at a company that operates urgent care clinics in Yellowstone, which spans parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

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IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT, GET OUT OF THE DAMNED KITCHEN

Plan to reintroduce genetically pure bison could put the wild back into America's Wild West

New herds of genetically pure wild bison may once again roam vast expanses of the American West – where the iconic animal has been absent since the end of the 19th century – under a tentative federal plan.

The proposal, for which Yellowstone National Park officials started seeking public comments this week, is almost sure to draw staunch opposition from ranchers concerned about disease, competition for grass, and property destruction from straying herds. Yellowstone is home to more than 4,000 bison (also known as buffalo), constituting the bulk of the country’s last pure-bred population of the animals.

Dozens from the park’s herd have been relocated to two Montana Native American reservations in recent years. Park officials, wildlife advocates and Native American groups are now eager to restore wild bison to more of their native habitat. A recent US Interior Department report on bison concluded they could potentially be reintroduced to swathes of public lands it manages in states such as Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska and South Dakota, without posing a risk to livestock.

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Yellowstone grizzly, people run-ins drop in 2013

By MATTHEW BROWNAugust 1, 2014 5:43 PM

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Conflicts between humans and grizzly bears in the region around Yellowstone National Park dropped last year, but that wasn't enough to reverse a long-term trend of more potentially dangerous interactions as populations of both bruins and people increase.

A new report by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team shows 252 grizzly run-ins were documented last year. They ranged from bears attacking livestock and damaging property in search of food to surprising backcountry encounters. Six people were injured by grizzlies — the same as in 2012.

Study team leader Frank van Manen said the number of conflicts decreased from the annual average of 270 for the prior three years. That's almost double the number seen on average between 1992 and 2009.

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Bison Ready for New Pastures? Protocol Used to Demonstrate Brucellosis-Free Bison from Infected Herds

Date:

February 27, 2014

Source:

Wildlife Conservation Society

Summary:

A new study demonstrates that it is possible to qualify bison coming from an infected herd as free of brucellosis using quarantine procedures. These bison can then be used to seed conservation herds in other landscapes without the threat of spreading the disease. The Bison Project Coordinator said, "This study represents an important milestone in bison conservation and these research findings enable us to practice genetic rescue from brucellosis infected bison herds. The Yellowstone animals passing through this system of testing are critical to conserving the diversity of the bison genome over the long term. We've also learned a great deal about brucellosis blood testing and how to better interpret results when screening animals for this disease. It is our hope that several satellite herds of Yellowstone bison can be assembled from the animals that graduate through this quarantine process."

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More than three quarters of large carnivores now in decline

By Matt McGrath

Environment correspondent, BBC News

The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone national park has been a success for the ecosystem.

Three quarters of the world's big carnivores - including lions, wolves and bears - are in decline, says a new study.

A majority now occupy less than half their former ranges according to data published in the journal, Science.

The loss of this habitat and prey and persecution by humans has created global hotspots of decline.

The researchers say the loss of these species could be extremely damaging for ecosystems the world over.

The authors say that in the developed world, most carnivorous animals have already succumbed to extinction.

When they looked at 31 big meat eaters, they found that they were under increasing pressure in the Amazon, South East Asia, southern and East Africa.

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Increased predator numbers in Yellowstone changing elk migration patterns

Migration no longer best strategy for Yellowstone elk herd

June 2013. Migratory elk are returning from Yellowstone National Park with fewer calves due to drought and increased numbers of big predators - two landscape-level changes that are reducing the benefits of migration with broader implications for conservation of migratory animals, according to a new study published in the journal Ecology.

Long-term decline in the number of calves in migratory elk

The new study by the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit - a joint program involving U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Wyoming, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, describes a long-term decline in the number of calves produced annually by the Clarks Fork herd, a population of about 4000 elk whose migrants travel annually between winter ranges near Cody, Wyoming and summer ranges within Yellowstone National Park. Migratory elk experienced a 19 percent depression in rates of pregnancy over the four years of the study and a 70 percent decline in calf production over 21 years of monitoring by the WGFD, while the elk that did not migrate, known as resident elk, in the same herd experienced high pregnancy and calf production and are expanding their numbers and range into private lands outside of the park.

Ungulates still retain their long-distance seasonal migrations

"This is one of North America's wildest and best-protected landscapes, where elk and other ungulates still retain their long-distance seasonal migrations - and yet it is the migratory elk that are struggling while their resident counterparts thrive in the foothills," said Arthur Middleton, who led this work as a University of Wyoming doctoral student and is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

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Yellowstone ecosystems - reintroduction of wolves

Wolves spur rebirth of Yellowstone ecosystems
By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The reintroduction of wolves has resulted in profound ecoystem changes in the Greater Yellowstone region.

For the first time in 70 years, the over-browsing of young aspen and willow trees has diminished. Trees and shrubs are recovering along some streams, providing improved habitat for beaver and fish.

“Yellowstone increasingly looks like a different place,” said William Ripple, a professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University, and lead author of a recent study documenting some of the changes.

“These are still the early stages of recovery, and some of this may still take decades,” Ripple said. “But trees and shrubs are starting to come back and beaver numbers are increasing. The signs are very encouraging.”

The findings of this report are based on a recent analysis done by OSU researchers and a review of other studies. They were published recently in Biological Conservation, a professional journal. They outline an ecosystem renaissance that has taken place since wolves were restored toYellowstone after being extirpated in the 1920s

Among the observations in this report:
•Since their reintroduction in 1995-96, the wolf population generally increased until 2003, forcing changes in both elk numbers and behavior due to what researchers call the “ecology of fear.”

•The northern range elk populations decreased from more than 15,000 individuals in the early 1990s to about 6,000 last year, and remaining elk now have different patterns of movement, vigilance, and other traits.

•By 2006, some aspen trees had grown tall enough they were no longer susceptible to browsing by elk, and cottonwood and willow were also beginning to return in places.

•Improved willow growth is providing habitat that allows for a greater diversity and abundance of songbirds such as the common yellowthroat, warbling vireo and song sparrow.

•The number of beaver colonies in the same area increased from one in 1996 to 12 in 2009, with positive impacts on fish habitat.

•Increases in beaver populations have strong implications for riparian hydrology and biodiversity – Wyoming streams with beaver ponds have been found to have 75 times more abundant waterfowl than those without.

•The coyote population decreased with the increase in wolf numbers, potentially allowing more small mammals that provide food for other avian and mammalian predators, such as red foxes, ravens and bald eagles.

Read more here ...

The wolverines that float on snow

Eight-year tracking programme reveals more about mysterious species

December 2011: Born during February in snow-caves at 9,000 feet on the north slope of craggy peaks in the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone's wolverines are tough.

Now experts at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) are revealing more about this mysterious and awe-inspiring species.

Eight years of capturing and radio-tracking the elusive wolverine revealed that adults live year-round in the high mountains, near the alpine tree-line, and inhabit some of the west's most remote and rugged terrain. Amazingly, the home range of an individual male can more than 500 square miles.

The winter endurance athletes of the animal world
‘Not only do they use an area even larger than a grizzly bear does,' said Kurt Alt, a coauthor with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, ‘they cover their territory on a fairly regular basis to scent mark it and defend it from other wolverines.'

The wolverine's capability for movement is stunning. Their large feet allow them to float on top of deep snow, and they were documented making winter traverses from one side of the massive Teton Range in Wyoming to the other in just a few hours.

‘They are the winter endurance athletes of the animal world,' said Steve Cain of the National Park Service. ‘We were impressed by their constant movements across large areas of snow-covered and incredibly rugged terrain.'

But covering this terrain comes with its risks, as two of the radio-collared wolverines were killed in avalanches.

One wolverine travelled more than 500 miles
Another wolverine travelled more than 500 miles from near Grand Teton National Park in northwest Wyoming to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. This was the first documented wolverine in Colorado in almost a century. Other young wolverines regularly moved 100 miles or more searching for their own territory.

While bears are hibernating and most ungulates and their predators have moved to low elevation wintering ranges, the wolverine patrols a vast, frozen territory, looking for scraps of meat that they cache under boulders and snow.'

‘We learned that wolverines are adapted to eke out a living in very harsh conditions,' said Robert Inman, conservationist for the WCS. ‘As a result, they naturally exist in low numbers and reproduce slowly.'

The wolverine's reputation as a fierce competitor was also affirmed during the study. One individual challenged a bear probably ten times his size over an elk carcass.


http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wolverine-yellowstone.html

Another Bear attack in Yellowstone

A bear attack caused the death of a hiker whose body was found on a trail in Yellowstone National Park, officials confirmed Monday.

The body of John Wallace, 59, was discovered Friday by two hikers along the Mary Mountain Trail, an area of the park that had been closed to hikers, according to park services.

Rangers discovered signs of grizzly bear activity, including tracks and scat, or bear droppings, in a park campground where they believe Wallace pitched a tent on Wednesday, the park said in a news release.

Autopsy results concluded that Wallace, a Michigan resident, died from traumatic injuries he received after being mauled by a bear. It's the second fatal attack in Yellowstone National Park this summer, said Park Superintendent Dan Wenk.

Just last month, a 57-year-old California man was killed by a bear within the same 10-mile area of the park, Wenk said.

Park managers determined that man was killed by a bear protecting its cubs. Despite the close proximity of the latest attack, the officials do not think the same bear is responsible for Wallace's death because no evidence of cubs was found at the scene.

DNA tests on hair samples from the site will be performed to confirm suspicions that a different bear was involved in the second attack, Wenk said.

Over the past 25 years, Yellowstone has averaged 1 or 2 encounters a year that resulted in injuries, Wenk said.

Prior to this summer's attacks, the last fatal bear mauling was in 1986, he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/29/wyoming.bear.attack/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Grizzly Bear Kills Hiker Who Disturbed Cubs

A female grizzly bear has killed a man hiking with his wife in Yellowstone National Park after the couple surprised the animal and her cubs.


The attack happened about a mile and a half from the start of the popular Wapiti Lake trail.

Another group of hikers nearby who heard the victim's wife screaming for help called park rangers.

A National Park Service statement said the couple had inadvertently surprised the mother grizzly and her cubs, and in "an attempt to defend a perceived threat to her cubs, the bear attacked and fatally wounded the man".

Grizzly bears can weigh up to 1,500lb and despite their size, they can run at speeds of up to 35mph, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The bears tend to avoid humans but can be extremely aggressive if they perceive a threat to their young.

There are warning signs about grizzlies throughout the national park and Wednesday's attack took place in an area where bear sightings are common.

The victim's identity has not been released while his family is informed.
Park officials said the animals involved have not been captured and rangers do not have enough information yet to determine what measures they might take.

But park spokeswoman Linda Miller said the mother bear behaved normally in defending her cubs and would not be killed as a result of her actions.

Bears found to have repeated run-ins with park visitors are, however, sometimes relocated.

"If we have an aggressive bear that continually poses a threat to human safety, then we work to remove it from the ecosystem," Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said.

Attacks by bears are extremely rare and the mauling marks the first fatal bear attack in the park since 1986, the Park Service said.

But a mother grizzly killed one man and injured two other people in an unusual night-time attack on sleeping campers just outside Yellowstone in Montana last July.

The animal involved was later trapped and destroyed because the attacks were considered to be unprovoked and predatory.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/grizzly-bear-kills-hiker-disturbed-cubs-080643772.html