Two breeding-aged grizzly bears have been killed in national parks this week due to habituation to humans. Odds of a grizzly reaching maturity inside a national park are lower than those outside of national parks. These bears are knowingly allowed to come into contact with humans, increasing the chances of conflict.

The famous grizzly bear of Teton National Park, 399, had less than 50% of her 18 cubs reach maturity. Only four of these have had no record of conflict. Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team data suggests this bear’s descendants learned to tolerate humans, greatly reducing their chances of success.

In a world where consumptive users of the landscape are constantly over-regulated due to the POTENTIAL of conflict with a grizzly, it’s only right the National Park Service is held accountable for continually allowing grizzly populations to sustain loss due to neglect. Without a doubt, there is a high probability grizzly mortality will continue inside the park causing potential irreparable harm to respective distinct populations segments. Grizzlies should not be subjected to such negligence.