The state of Wyoming filed an appeal of a federal judge’s decision removing Yellowstone-area grizzly bears from state management and restoring federal protections.
“Grizzly bear recovery should be viewed as a conservation success story,” Matt Mead, Wyoming governor stated immediately after the ruling two months ago. “Due to Wyoming’s investment of approximately $50 million for recovery and management, grizzly bears have exceeded every scientifically established recovery criteria in the GYE since 2003. Numbers have risen from as few as 136 bears when they were listed in 1975, to more than 700 today.”
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation also disagrees with the ruling.
If accepted, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would hear the appeal.
(Photo source: Wyoming Department of Fish and Game)