Animals: Too Many Bears

Although timid visitors at Yellowstone National Park have often been scared by bears, they have seldom been harmed by them. Last week Roger W. Toll, Yellowstone’s superintendent, announced that he has just exactly the right number of bears in his park. Last fortnight he gave away seven grizzlies and two black bears. He has 160 grizzlies, 450 black bears left. But if this number were allowed to increase, the food supply (berries, roots, garbage can contents) would not be enough to go around. Some of the animals would have to go hungry, might turn on small and tender or large and plump sightseers. Next year park rangers will be instructed to capture 30 black bears and ten grizzlies (the average annual increase). The animals will be sent to other U. S. parks, or to zoos short of bears.