Greater Yellowstone Grizzly Bears - On the road to recovery

The grizzly bear, a magnificent and powerful keystone species, has roamed the forests and mountains of the western United States. Sadly, they have disappeared from 98% of their original habitat. Federal, state, and tribal wildlife management agencies have worked for many years to bolster grizzly bear populations and recover the species. At present, each agency has disease and health data, along with preventive health measures and anesthesia protocols, separate from other agencies, making it challenging for groups to see the full picture.

To address this gap in knowledge, VIEW is utilizing historic data provided by state and federal partners to further develop its pioneering electronic health surveillance platform: Wildlife Health Information System (WHIS). WHIS allows data to be stored in a secure and centralized location and offers user-friendly access to collaborators working toward a healthy grizzly bear population.

VIEW is working with multiple stakeholders to build a broad-based repository of information where health data can be managed so that:

1. research is based on statistically significant sample sizes,

2. preventive measures can be implemented BEFORE a catastrophic disease outbreak occurs, and

3. animal management protocols can be developed based on the most accurate information.

The grizzly bear project in Greater Yellowstone Park has provided an excellent opportunity for VIEW to test and enhance WHIS’s features, increasing its effectiveness for wildlife management professionals.

Your support matters

Protecting the Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears is a costly and time-consuming undertaking. Your support has been essential to this work and we thank you. If you are able, please consider a donation to help us further the future health of these magnificent animals.