Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884

Yellowstone grizzly population jumps with count revision

JACKSON — Federal scientists who track grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are revising a key criterion that underlies how they count bears, with the effect being a 34% to 43% jump in the population estimate.

The change brings the estimated population from 727 grizzlies up to more than 1000 animals. The protocol used to count grizzlies — called the Chao 2 method — is staying the same, continuing a method that’s been used since 2007. What’s changing is a filter that determines how many female grizzlies with cubs get plugged into that model.

Historically, sows and cu...

 
 
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