How many grizzly bears are in Idaho?

Answer 1

Grizzly bears were eliminated from 98 percent of their historic range, which stretched from the Arctic to central Mexico and from California to Minnesota, by the 1920s and 1930s in the lower 48 states.

In 1975, they were listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has primary management responsibility. After delisting, the states would assume the primary management role within their respective state boundaries.

Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem were removed from the endangered species list in 2007.

Legal challenges in 2009 resulted in the bears being returned to the Endangered Species List. An appeal was filed in 2010 by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service and the Department of Justice. A decision is expected sometime during the winter of 2011.

The bears have remained protected under the Endangered Species Act elsewhere in the state.

Idaho still classifies grizzly bears as a threatened species, making it illegal to take or possess grizzly bears except under certain circumstances, including scientific research, propagation, to stop damage to property and water rights and other specific circumstances outlined in state law. There are no hunting seasons for grizzly bears in Idaho.