Grizzly bears emerging early from hibernation - What we must do/stop doing - by Anthony Marr
Female Grizzlies usually enter their dens first around mid-November and
males around late November or early December. The males usually emerge first
as early as March, and females, especially those with cubs, in late April or
early May. For Grizzlies to emerge in February is almost unheard of.
The reason for this seems uncertain. Given 10 experts passing opinion, we
would end up with about 10 different explanations. But I think there will be
two answers in common: 1. It probably has more than one cause, and 2. One of
the causes is probably climate change.
Others are less persuasive, e.g. disturbances by nearby helicopter
activity, since there have been industrial and recreational disturbances in
most of grizzly bear habitat for well over a century, including logging,
mining and of course hunting.
Speaking of which, this does not mean that logging and mining in prime
grizzly bear habitat and hunting of grizzlies anywhere can continue.
Considering that climate change will impose huge alterations in the ecology
of current grizzly bear habitat, including die-back of forests, decline in
salmon and changes in vegetation, further disturbances imposed on the
Grizzly bears and their habitat should be curtailed, beginning with logging,
mining and hunting.
The uncertainty in our understanding itself dictates that we must access
Grizzly bear conservation with unprecedented caution. And we must take
immediate and effective action to control climate change, meaning, much more
than what we are currently doing, immediately or sooner.
See Also: Grizzlies wake early from
winter slumber
Anthony Marr, founder and president
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.MySpace.com/AnthonyMarr
www.YouTube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.ARConference.org
216-386-7362 / 604-222-1169
Return to Letters
Since 