High mortality of grizzlies at Yellowstone

[Owlscrying]

Jackson, Wyo. — Grizzly bears in the region in and around Yellowstone National Park have suffered unusually high mortality rates so far this year, likely because of a dearth of natural food sources.

Chuck Schwartz, leader of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, said officials tallied 25 known and probable grizzly mortalities.

Twenty-two of those mortalities were human-caused, two of the deaths resulted from natural causes, and the cause of one death was undetermined.

For every bear that was reported dead, two more deaths likely went unreported.

Earlier this year, Yellowstone grizzlies were taken off the endangered species list, a decision that is being challenged by environmental groups.

Schwartz said a conservative estimate for the overall grizzly population in Yellowstone is 571 bears.

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