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Jackson, Wyo. • Six recent grizzly bear deaths in the Wyoming portion of the Yellowstone ecosystem are being investigated as human-caused.
Because the incidents are being investigated, Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials are revealing few details but they come at a time when grizzly-hunter encounters are most frequent. The grizzly bear is protected under federal law.
The string marks the 40th through 45th grizzly deaths in the ecosystem this year.
Mark Bruscino, of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, says it is about an average year for grizzly deaths in Wyoming.
Bruscino says the string of bear deaths has little bearing on the overall health of the ecosystem's grizzlies.
He tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide that the grizzly population continues to grow.
The Associated Press