Lorraine Chow
Dec. 07, 2017
Grizzly sow and cubs near Fishing Bridge. Yellowstone National Park / Flickr
Good News for Yellowstone Grizzlies? U.S. to Review ‘Flawed’ Ruling That Removed Protections

Over the summer, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) decided to strip Yellowstone grizzly bears of Endangered Species Act protections, sparking condemnation from conservationists over the agency’s “flawed” ruling.

But now, USFWS is reviewing this decision thanks to an appeals court ruling that restored protections for a completely different animal that was taken off the endangered species list: the Great Lakes gray wolf.

In August, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, DC, ruled unanimously that USFWS was wrong in its 2011 decision to de-list the Great Lakes gray wolf and should remain under federal protection. The three-judge panel wrote then, “The Endangered Species Act’s text requires the Service, when reviewing and redetermining the status of a species…