For Immediate Release

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed a bill (SF 93) last Friday authorizing the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission (the Commission) to conduct an illegal grizzly bear hunt in Wyoming.

Erin Edge, Rockies & Plains representative for Defenders of Wildlife, issued this statement:

“Grizzly bears in Wyoming are protected under the Endangered Species Act and hunting them is illegal under federal law. This new state law puts the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission and Wyoming citizens at risk of civil and criminal penalties if a hunt is authorized on grizzly bears protected by the Act. If a hunt is authorized, Defenders of Wildlife will take legal action.”

Background:

If the Commission chooses to approve a grizzly bear hunt, not only would the Commission itself be in violation of federal law, but they would also be inviting hunters to illegally take a threatened species. That would subject Commissioners and hunters to the penalties under federal laws for the illegal take of a threatened species.

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.  

 

Media Contact

News

Salt Marsh - Cumberland Island
ST. MARYS, GEORGIA

NPS Land Swaps and Visitor Plan Open the Door to Devastating Impacts at Cumberland Island

In advance of a public hearing on proposed land exchanges on Cumberland Island National Seashore, Defenders of Wildlife called on the National Park Service to remedy a host of management issues facing one of the largest undeveloped barrier islands on the East Coast.
2019.08.07 - Florida Panther looking straight at camera - MS 45 - fStop Foundation
WASHINGTON, D.C.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Memo Underscores Trump Administration’s All-Fronts War on Wildlife

Brian Nesvik, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, issued a memorandum explaining to FWS staff that the Endangered Species Act’s prohibition on unauthorized “take” applies only to affirmative acts intentionally and purposefully directed at a particular animal. This follows the Trump administration’s rescission of the regulatory definitions of “harm” under the ESA, which took effect this week.
Visit the newsroom