While FOUR PAWS is best known for rescuing and protecting wild animals in captivity, in the United States, we are also a member of a coalition that strives to uphold the Endangered Species Act (ESA). All of the core species FOUR PAWS works to protect are endangered or threatened species, including grizzly bears, tigers, lions, orangutans, elephants, and more. The Endangered Species Act bans the killing or intentional harm of listed species, both within and outside of the United States. This important legislation also affords protections to endangered species living in captivity, thus defending the ESA is an important part of the work we do to improve the lives of animals, globally.

Our current congress has launched an all out attack on the ESA, introducing more than 30 bills that aim to weaken protections and delist vulnerable wildlife. Grizzly bears have been the target of a number of these attacks, and the spread of misinformation about bears and anti-predator attitudes in general has put grizzlies in the crosshairs of conservative politicians.

Grizzly Bears are an iconic American species, who once roamed freely throughout most of the western United States. Before 1800, it is estimated that 50,000 grizzly bears lived in what is now known as the lower 48 states, but their numbers soon dwindled as European colonizers expanded west.¹ Seeing grizzlies as a threat to livestock and human safety, the bears were shot, poisoned, and trapped until less than a thousand in total remained. In just 125 years, the grizzly bears’ range diminished to just 2% of their historic habitat, and by the time grizzlies were officially listed as an endangered species in 1975, the population in the lower 48 states was estimated at just 700-800 individuals.^2,4 Exemplifying humanity’s complex relationship with grizzlies, the iconic species graces the California state flag, even while the last grizzly in California is believed to have been killed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1922.³

The protections afforded by the ESA helped stabilize the grizzly population by providing habitat security and outlawing the rampant killing of these animals. Currently, there are an estimated 2,200 grizzlies⁷ living in about 6% of their historic range.⁴ Right now, these populations exist as “islands,” and in order to further safeguard the health of these bears, it would be ideal for the island populations to be able to connect. Expanding the bears’ protected range would allow the animals to roam freely and come into contact with one another, increasing both the potential for genetic resiliency within the American grizzly population, as well as demographic resiliency. If this expansion of protected land were put in place, it would make it more likely that the species as a whole will survive.⁴ However, rather than expanding protections under the ESA, some politicians are working to shrink them instead.

Even though the grizzlies’ population growth is viewed by many as a success, in recent years, legislative attacks have focused on delisting grizzly bears. In the last twenty years, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has twice tried to delist grizzlies, in  2007 and 2016. In both these instances, the decision to delist was challenged and overturned in federal court, and this decision was also upheld by the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, allowing for the continued ESA protection of grizzly bears. 

However, the attacks on grizzlies have continued. Currently, three states have petitioned FWS to delist grizzly bears: Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. In addition to the petitions to FWS, congressional delegations from these three states have introduced legislation to delist grizzly bears from the ESA, which “shall not be subject to judicial review.” If passed, this would mean that animal protection groups and other advocates would not be able to challenge these laws, and it would end 45 years of grizzly recovery.

The movement to delist the bears is based on misinformation that causes people to fear bears and other predators, stoking the belief that bears are a threat to humans and livestock. As Chris Servheen, who was the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grizzly bear recovery coordinator for 35 years, said in The Washington Post, “science-based state wildlife management has been replaced by legislated antipredator misinformation and emotion.”⁵

The petitions claim that the states need more ability to kill bears who are in conflict with humans or threatening livestock. However, even with ESA protections, people are allowed to kill bears when conflicts arise. Between 2022-2024, 642 bears were killed in the lower 48 due to conflict and depredation. Experts could not find a single case where anyone was prohibited from or penalized for “removing” a bear in this time period, even with ESA protections.⁴

Special interest groups have their own motives for seeking to delist grizzly bears. Some “sportsman” want trophy hunting of the bears to be resumed, and others with business interests would like to see grizzlies removed from the endangered species list in order to allow for development and fossil fuel extraction on lands that are currently off limits.

In addition to these direct attacks, grizzlies are also threatened by climate change, suburban sprawl, increased timber cutting and road development in their habitat, as well as increased recreation in these areas, which raises the likelihood of human-wildlife interactions. At a time when our federal government is cutting funding for science, decreasing federal agency staff, and introducing laws that undermine environmental conservation and wildlife protection, a perfect storm is brewing to put this recovering species in danger once again.⁴

Alaska is home to a much larger population of brown bears (which includes grizzlies and Kodiak bears) than in the lower 48 states, with an estimated population of around 30,000 bears.⁸ Because of this healthy population, Alaskan grizzly bears are not protected by the ESA, and hunting of these animals is legal. Alaska is also the only state where all three species of bears native to the U.S. are found, such as polar bears and black bears.

In the last 2 years, nearly 200 grizzly bears in Alaska have been shot and killed, indiscriminately, from helicopters in the name of "predator control" by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This comes in spite of the fact that a state judge blocked the agency from conducting this program, and two Superior Court Judges granted restraining orders.  

According to the Alaska Beacon news, the rulings resulted from a 2023 lawsuit filed by the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, which argued that, "among other failings, the state did not analyze the impacts of [...] predator control on the area’s bear population, which includes animals that roam in Katmai National Park and Preserve." ⁶

These killings in Alaska are yet another example of policy decisions that are motivated by bias and misinformation that is not backed up by sound science. 

In addition to grizzly bears, the U.S. is also home to black bears and polar bears. While grizzly and polar bears have much smaller populations that are more limited geographically, black bears are the most common and widely distributed bear species throughout the U.S., with population estimates putting them at over 300,000.

Successful conservation practices in states like Florida, which prior to 2012 had black bears listed as threatened on the state endangered species list, are now wanting to use inhumane practices like hunting to help control bear populations. With bear habitat decreasing due to land development and an expanding human population, human-bear conflicts in some states have become more on an issue. However, non-lethal coexistence measures are readily available. FOUR PAWS is against hunting being used as the primary way to manage wildlife and believe more humane non-lethal methods should be used to improve public co-existence with wildlife. As previously mentioned, we support laws like the ESA, which recognizes the need to protect wildlife habitats in order for species to survive. This is especially true for our national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public federal lands where America’s wildlife should be protected and treated with dignity, allowing our native predators the opportunity to not just survive, but thrive. This is why we also support federal bills that would ban terrible hunting practices, such as the "Don't Feed the Bears Act", which would ban the cruel baiting of bears with food in order to easily shoot them on federal lands.

Overall, learning to coexist peacefully with wildlife by using non-lethal management practices that include properly disposing of our garbage and using bear resistant dumpsters to deter bears, etc. should always be used in a wildlife management plan.

 At FOUR PAWS, we are dedicated to supporting animal welfare worldwide. While we work hard to ensure the best possible, species-appropriate life for animals in our sanctuaries around the globe, we dream of a future where the wilderness is its own "sanctuary" for the native species that call it "home."  

As bears around the country start preparing for a food-filled fall, we believe that all bears, whether wild or in our sanctuaries, deserve a hibernation where they can rest easy without fear and lead a life where they are free to pursue happy, healthy, natural lives.  

Extinction is forever, and we must defend the great American grizzly bear before it is too late. That’s why it’s crucial for you to let your federal legislators know that you oppose all bills to remove ESA protections from grizzly bears and oppose anti-wildlife riders in the 2026 Appropriations Bill!

For the past 50 years, the ESA has given grizzly bears the protection they’ve needed to reproduce and slowly crawl back from the edge of extinction. But their populations are still fragile and delisting them from the ESA could easily wipe out years of conservation success, opening them up to cruel hunting practices and trapping. So let you elected officials know that you want grizzlies to be protected today!