Grizzly Bear Hunt Halted
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
August 31, 2018
A federal judge in Montana issued an order late Thursday afternoon (August 30, 2018) that puts a halt to Wyoming’s grizzly bear hunt (scheduled to begin Sept. 1) while he considers whether grizzlies should have been removed from federal protection.
The court order applies to state and federal officials which are "temporarily restrained and enjoined from authorizing and/or implementing grizzly bear hunting. This Order shall remain in effect for fourteen days from this date."
Oral arguments were delivered over four hours at Russell Smith Courthouse in Missoula, Montana in the lawsuit challenging removal of federal protections for Yellowstone's grizzly bears. During the hearing, Judge Dana L. Christensen did not issue a decision in the case. But directly following the hearing, Earthjustice attorneys filed a request for a temporary restraining order to halt the Sept. 1 trophy hunts, while the judge decides the merits of the case. Hours later, Judge Christensen granted the temporary restraining order.
The lawsuit challenging the delisting was filed by a coalition of environmental groups and tribal interests, including the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, National Parks and Conservation Association. Other parties include the Humane Society of the United States, Fund for Animals, WildEarth Guardians, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Western Watersheds Project, and Native Ecosystems Council. The federal court consolidated a total of six lawsuits that were filed over the loss of federal protection for grizzlies, and numerous groups and individuals have filed friend of the court briefs as well.
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