Biden Administration Retains Protections for Rocky Mountain Grizzlies

Federal decision maintains endangered species safeguards for over 2,000 bears, with plans to reclassify their status to address livestock conflicts.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will continue protecting grizzly bears in four Rocky Mountain states, citing their recovery progress since being listed as threatened in 1975.
The decision allows ranchers to shoot grizzlies attacking livestock and withdraws protections in states where the species is no longer found, such as California and Colorado.
Republican-led states like Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming have criticized the decision, seeking state management and limited hunting, which federal officials have declined to allow for now.
Environmentalists argue that maintaining federal protections is essential for the species' survival, warning that delisting could reverse decades of recovery efforts.
The incoming Trump administration could revisit the decision, raising concerns about future changes to grizzly bear protections.