Grizzly bears this year died at elevated rates in and around Yellowstone National Park, according to the latest U.S. Geological Survey-led monitoring that could shape future Endangered Species Act debates.
The closely watched tally shows that from January through November a total of 71 grizzly bears are known to have died in what’s called the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. While that’s near last year’s overall total of 72, it’s more than the number of dead bears in all but one of the years between 2015 and 2023.
In 2019, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team tallied a low of 42 known Yellowstone-area grizzly bear deaths.
Some wildlife advocates see the higher mortality numbers as a warning to think twice about possibly removing ESAprotections.
