"Fewer grizzly bears dying in Yellowstone area" Associated Press October 30, 2014
BILLINGS, Mont. — Fewer threatened grizzly bears are being killed in and around Yellowstone National Park, and scientists said Wednesday the bears’ numbers appear to be holding stable as officials consider lifting their protections.
If the US Fish and Wildlife Service eliminates protections, it would open the door to limited hunting in the Yellowstone region of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
At least 757 bears inhabit the region, although researchers say that is a highly conservative figure.
During a Wednesday meeting of state and federal wildlife agencies in Montana, scientists said a new counting method indicates roughly 1,000 grizzlies in the Yellowstone region, with the population growing up to 2 percent annually.
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