Grand Teton, Yellowstone Workers Trap Bears to Track Numbers

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Officials at Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are continuing to keep track of grizzly bear populations in the parks with routine trapping operations.

The Jackson Hole News and Guide reports that Grizzly traps will be set in Grand Teton beginning Tuesday and are expected to remain out into October.

A similar trapping operation ran in May and June. In Yellowstone, trapping began Aug. 25 and will last until the end of October.

Officials say the traps are set away from trailheads, campsites and other high-traffic areas and that the sites are closed to the public and posted with warnings.

The trapping program is part of federal and state efforts to monitor grizzly bear populations. Grizzlies are protected by the Endangered Species Act in the Greater Yellowstone.