Change.org - Grizzly bear shot + dumped on road

Today, there are less than 25 grizzly bears left in the Yaak Valley. Tragically, in November 2020 an adult female grizzly was shot dead, mutilated and then dumped on the road. She was one of the last remaining females. The group Save the Yellowstone Grizzly wants to stop this senseless poaching. They are calling on Congress to pass the Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Bear Protection Act. Sign now to help protect the endangered grizzly. Rare Yaak Montana Female Grizzly Poached! Tell Montana & U​.​S. Government to Prosecute 5,462 have signed Save the Yellowstone Grizzly’s petition. Let’s get to 7,500!

Sign now with a click

Tell the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service and State of Montana to Prosecute and Increase the Penalty for Killing an Endangered Grizzly Bear. Tell Congress to Pass the Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Bear Protection Act. In late November 2020, an adult female grizzly bear was brutally killed in the northwest Montana’s Yaak Valley. The killer or killers shot the bear, partially skinned and cut off her paws, before dumping the body in a driveway.  An estimated 24 grizzlies remain in the Yaak Valley, and after this brutal poaching, they are more in need of your help than ever. The poached grizzly was one of possibly only 3-5 remaining females. These last two dozen bears are stubborn survivors on the U.S.-Canada border in a unique ecosystem where nothing has gone extinct since the end of the last Ice Age. Now climate change and poaching are the greatest threat to the grizzly. At present, it is unknown if she had cubs. If she did, they too would surely have perished. If they were a family of four, that would represent roughly 15% of the valley’s population in one day, and possibly an unbelievable one-third of the valley’s reproductive females. “Often called “the walking dead,” the tiny population of grizzly bears in northwest Montana’s Yaak Valley are the most endangered in the state,” stated Montana grizzly bear advocate, author, and activist Doug Peacock for Save The Yellowstone Grizzly. “Yaak grizzlies are already beset by an out-of-compliance high-volume through-hiker trail in their fragile habitat, a proposed mine beneath the Cabinet Mountains, and a Kootenai National Forest that seeks to implement clearcutting across four contiguous project areas totaling almost 250,000 acres without any Environmental Impact Statement—well, you get the picture—Yaak grizzlies need our help,” added Yaak Valley Forest Council Board Chair, author, and activist Rick Bass.    “Please help us turn this around. There were an estimated 25 grizzlies remaining in the Yaak. Now that estimate is 24,” concluded author and activist Terry Tempest Williams of Save The Yellowstone Grizzly “There is such villainy in this act that I can hardly express my rage and sadness,” continued Montana-based author, environmental historian, and conservationist Betsy Gaines Quammen The state of Montana is only offering a paltry $1000 reward for information leading to the conviction of her killer or killers—hardly enough to solicit tips, or to act as a deterrent to other, future poachers.  We are asking the federal government and the State of Montana to:  • Investigate and prosecute the Yaak poaching to the full extent of the law  • Increase the penalty for killing an endangered grizzly bear to $100,000  • Pass the Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Bear Protection Act with additional protections for the Yaak grizzly bear population. Please sign our petition to be delivered to the new Secretary of the Interior, Congress, the State of Montana, as well as the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, demanding investigation, and greater protection for grizzlies on our public lands.  Thank you from all of us at Save the Yellowstone Grizzly and the Yaak Valley Forest Council. Let’s not let this mother grizzly die in vain. Read the press release (PDF)   Addendum:  To offset the abysmal state reward amount of $1,000, Save The Yellowstone Grizzly and the Yaak Valley Forest Council have set up a supplemental reward fund. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to be added to the state reward fund. Click here if you would like to donate to the reward fund: donatenow.networkforgood.org/yaakgrizzlykillrewardfund If you have information regarding this killing, call the state of Montana at:   1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668) Save the Yellowstone Grizzly - fights for the safety and welfare of all grizzlies south of Canada, and laying the groundwork for a large-scale grizzly bear ecosystem recovery area. savetheyellowstonegrizzly.org Yaak Valley Forest Council - works for a wild Yaak through science, education, and bold action. yaakvalley.org

Sign now with a click

Visit petition page

At Change.org, we believe in the voice of everyday people. Is there something that you want to change? Start a petition today