CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming has asked the federal government to remove protections from grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park.
If approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the request could allow the animals to be hunted.
Wyoming officials say in their petition Monday the bears have recovered from as few as 136 animals in the 1970s to more than 1,000 today.
The federal government removed protections for Yellowstone's grizzlies in 2017.
Wyoming and Idaho were set to allow grizzly hunting when a judge restored those protections under the Endangered Species Act.
The Center for Biological Diversity says grizzly delisting still isn't supported by science.