{"id":13277,"date":"2026-05-18T21:53:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T21:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=13277"},"modified":"2026-05-18T21:53:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T21:53:26","slug":"zinke-demands-grizzly-delisting-after-park-attacks-scientists-push-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=13277","title":{"rendered":"Zinke Demands Grizzly Delisting After Park Attacks; Scientists Push Back"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>After recent grizzly encounters in Glacier and Yellowstone left one dead and two injured, Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke says it&#8217;s time for states to manage the predators. Top wildlife biologists call the political push misleading.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Grizzly bears have been protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1975<!-- --> (Photo: Wirestock\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published May 18, 2026 02:33PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>After two bear attacks in national parks left one hiker dead and two others injured, Montana Republican Representative Ryan Zinke is calling for the federal government to remove grizzly bears from the\u00a0Endangered Species List. Some conservationists say the move is premature.<\/p>\n<p>On May 3, a bear killed a 33-year-old hiker in Glacier National Park, the first fatal attack in the park since 1998. The following day, in Yellowstone National Park, another grizzly attacked two brothers, aged 14 and 28, hiking near the Old Faithful geyser. Both were left hospitalized in serious condition.<\/p>\n<p>On May 12, Zinke, 64, responded to the attacks with a social media post that proposed the policy change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese tragedies are a sobering reminder that grizzly bear populations have recovered well beyond sustainable levels, and it is past time for the federal government to delist them and give states the management tools they need to protect both people and wildlife,\u201d Zinke <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepRyanZinke\/status\/2054588293132489085\">wrote<\/a> on X. \u201cDelist the grizzly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Outside<\/em> contacted Zinke\u2019s office for further comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Servheen, the former national grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), told <em>Outside<\/em> that Zinke\u2019s comments were \u201cmisleading\u201d and \u201cdo not contribute to public understanding of how and why human interactions with grizzly bears occur, and how they can be minimized in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese interactions are chance events that would occur whether the grizzly was managed by state authorities or not,\u201d Servheen told <em>Outside<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" style=\"border:none;overflow-y:hidden;background-color:white;min-width:320px;max-width:420px;width:100%;height:420px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiagps.com\/public\/Hma5jqmAt5s7s2O0arVaokbA\/?embed=True\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Servheen served as the FWS grizzly bear recovery coordinator for 35 years, from 1981 to 2016, and\u00a0helped write\u00a0the government\u2019s recovery plan for grizzlies. From the mid-seventies\u00a0<span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px\">to today, the population of grizzlies in the\u00a0contiguous U.S. grew\u00a0from\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/species\/grizzly-bear-ursus-arctos-horribilis\">as few as 700<\/a> to nearly 2,000<\/span>. Today, Servheen co-chairs the North American Bears Expert Team for the International Union for Conservation of Nature <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/globalbearconservation.org\/About\/leadership_page\/114\">Bear Specialist Group<\/a>, a global network of biologists promoting bear conservation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrizzly bear attacks on humans are unfortunate events that usually result from a combination of factors, such as surprise encounters with grizzly bears along a trail, or defensive behavior of a mother grizzly concerning her cubs. None of these factors has any relationship to whether the grizzly bear is listed under the ESA or managed by state authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both attacks in May\u00a0occurred on federal land within national parks, where states have no authority to manage grizzlies under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Servheen said.<\/p>\n<p>Under the ESA, the decision to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/testimony\/listing-and-delisting-processes-endangered-species-act\">delist a species<\/a> rests with the FWS. To remove protections, the agency must conduct a scientific review demonstrating that the grizzly bear population has recovered and that threats such as habitat loss have been resolved. However, Congress can also pass legislation to strip a species of its ESA protections, bypassing this scientific review.<\/p>\n<p>Andrea Zaccardi,\u00a0the legal director of the Center for Biological Diversity\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biologicaldiversity.org\/\">Carnivore Conservation <\/a>program, pointed out that recent FWS <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepRyanZinke\/status\/2054588293132489085\">research<\/a> suggests that grizzlies should remain protected under the ESA.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn 2025, the FWS said the best available science supports continued listing,\u201d Zaccardi explained. \u201cIf they were to now come out and say grizzly bears should be delisted, they\u2019d have to jump through some serious hoops to show why that science has changed in just over a year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zaccardi noted that although fatalities and injuries grab headlines, grizzly bear attacks are still extremely rare.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSaying delisting is necessary because there have been two attacks recently is extremely misleading and ignores basic science,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re more likely to die driving to the trailhead than you are to be attacked by a grizzly bear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<section id=\"\" class=\"content-card rounded-xl px-base-loose pt-base-loose pb-loose shadow-sm shadow-black\/10\">\n<h2>Staying Safe in Bear Country<\/h2>\n<p>Zaccardi told <em>Outside<\/em> that although there\u2019s no way to completely ensure you won\u2019t be attacked by a bear in bear country, taking proper steps can significantly reduce your chances of being harmed if you do encounter one. She emphasized the following three steps to stay safe on the trail:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Travel in groups of four or more.<\/li>\n<li>Make noise on the trail.<\/li>\n<li>Carry bear spray and keep it easily accessible.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\u201cThese safety recommendations won\u2019t absolutely ensure your safety, but they really decrease your chances of being harmed by a grizzly bear,\u201d Zaccardi said.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/ryan-zinke-grizzly-bear-protections\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After recent grizzly encounters in Glacier and Yellowstone left one dead and two injured, Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke says it&#8217;s time for states to manage the predators. Top wildlife biologists call the political push misleading. Grizzly bears have been protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1975 (Photo: Wirestock\/Getty Images) Published May 18, 2026 02:33PM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13277","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wild-living"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}