WYOMING – Anyway you look at it, last year was an active one on all fronts for anything grizzly bear-related.

For one, mortality rates were up. Some say at a record high in 2018.

Wyoming Wildlife Advocates Kristin Combs said, “The mortality rates of grizzlies over the past few years have revealed a deeply disturbing trend. Too many bears are dying, and it’s time for managers and communities alike to seriously commit to the most effective methods for conflict prevention.”

“It’s important to note that we are still below mortality thresholds that demonstrate the population is fully recovered,” Dan Thompson, large carnivore section supervisor for the Game and Fish, told the Powell Tribune recently.

In addition, the Game and Fish handled a lot of bears last year—more than 50, according to a story by Mark Davis for the Tribune.

In the piece, Davis explores the latest Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) report for 2018 and what inferences may be drawn form the data. The story also includes a strongly worded letter sent to the IGBST on January 31, 2019 on behalf of a six-party coalition of environmental and animal rights groups.