Question

In 2005, at least ten grizzly bears in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem were killed through contact with people. Most of these deaths resulted from three things: collisions with automobiles, hunters (of other animals) shooting when charged by a female grizzly bear with cubs nearby, and conservation managers killing bears that attacked livestock repeatedly. If you were a conservation manager, what steps might you take to minimize such encounters in Yellowstone?

Short answer

Yellowstone ecosystems are used by millions of people each year. So, the contact between people and bears is impossible to eliminate. Chances of killing bears can be reduced by reducing the kinds of encounters that are responsible for it.

Such encounters can be minimized by doing amendments, such as recommending lower speed limits on roads in the park, adjusting the time of hunting season so that chances of hitting mother bears and cubs can be reduced, and suitable livestock management.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: Ecosystem

The ecosystem is a certain area where living organisms, such as plants, animals, and bacteria, live in association with abiotic factors such as weather and land.Every factor, whether it is living or non-living, depends on each factor directly or indirectly.

For instance, the change in the temperature in an area will determine the types of plants growing in that area.

Step 2: Grizzly bear

The grizzly bear is a type of brown bear that is found in North America. It is the term given to the large bears with a range of shades of brown colors living in interior areas of the continent. They have very long claws on the front feet that enable them to dig their dens. They are a native species of North America.

Step 3: Conservation of Grizzly bears in North America

There are killings of Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem due to the contact of people with these bears.This contact of people with these bears cannot be eliminated because the Yellowstone ecosystem is used by millions of people.

So, some amendment practices that can be done in these areas to protect Grizzly bears and reduce the encounter of bothare as follows.

• Lower speed limits on roads can be recommended in the park. It will reduce the count of accidents regarding hitting the bears and killing them.
• Adjustment of timing or location of hunting should be set such that the hunters cannot be in contact with mother bears and cubs. This refers to an area that has an abundant number of bears, and people can be prohibited from hunting.
• Provisions of financial incentives for livestock managers to protect their livestock by alternative means should be made so that they do not have the need to kill Grizzly bears.