A trail camera set up by a civilian in Custer Gallatin National Forest captured an image of a grizzly bear — an animal that hasn't been seen in the area in over 50 years.
According to Montana Free Press, the photograph of a subadult bear walking through the woods was captured on December 17 in the Bangtail Mountain range northeast of Bozeman, Montana.
It's estimated that about 1,050 grizzly bears exist in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. They're known to travel through the nearby Bridger Mountains and along the Yellowstone River. But this trail camera footage shows the population is expanding back into the Bangtail range after decades of recovery efforts.
Grizzly bears once roamed around California, Utah, Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona, but those populations died out in the early to mid-1900s.
Sightings are more common in Canada, with trail cameras spotting them in regions such as Lake Country and Yukon. Now, the only U.S. states where they can be found are Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska.
Last year, 32 grizzly bear deaths were recorded by the dashboard of grizzly bear mortalities in Montana, many due to human-animal conflicts.
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Authorities encourage people living in areas where bears may be present to stay alert, carry bear spray, and make a warning noise to avoid startling bears.
The bears are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. But, as MFP noted, some politicians and wildlife managers have tried to remove the federal protections on grizzlies.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the species remains threatened and maintained the federal protections.
Trail cameras like this one help officials monitor grizzly populations, enabling them to allocate conservation resources and track progress more accurately. They ensure endangered animals receive the support and protection they need to bounce back.
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Definitely 👍 The recovery efforts support biodiversity and whole ecosystems, which in turn bolsters the human food and water supply. The grizzly sighting around Bangtail Mountains proves that positive intervention can be effective, and donating to relevant causes can help improve protections.
Hopefully, officials will be able to document more bears in the mountain range come spring.
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks agency spokesperson Greg Lemon wrote in an email to MFP: "While bear activity is much lower over the winter, there's always a chance there are a few out."
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