‘Teddy Bear’ Removed From Threatened List

The Louisiana black bear, famed as being the origin for the much-loved teddy bear, has been removed from the “threatened” species list. According to CNN, the U.S. Department of the Interior released a statement on March 11, saying the bear would “officially be delisted from the federal list of endangered and threatened species…”

The department’s statement said that the bear was placed on the Endangered Species Act in 1992 “due to habitat loss, reduced quality of habitat and human-related mortality.” At the time, the territory of the black bear was limited to parts of the southern Louisiana wetlands. The numbers in the area have now grown to such an extent that, put together with new populations in other parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, the Louisiana black bear is no longer considered to be threatened.

Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish And Wildlife service, spoke of how important the ESA’s work with state-level groups was in the bear’s recovery, as reported by CNN.

“The recovery of the Louisiana black bear is an outstanding conservation accomplishment. The ESA’s success in preventing extinction and recovering species is in large part due to the countless partnerships like these that it helps to foster.”

It is now estimated that between 500 and 750 Louisiana black bears are now in the wild, up from approximately 150 in 1992. Known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise,” the state of Louisiana has assisted in the “successful collaboration of states, private landowners, conservation groups and federal agencies that worked together to restore the habitat of the bears.” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack added that farmers had been important in the rallying of the black bear populations.

“Farmers played a pivotal role in helping the Louisiana black bear recover, using easements and other Farm Bill conservation programs to sew together primary habitat corridors.”

A recognized sub-species of the American black bear, the Louisiana black bear gained its place in the heart of American childhood when Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, president of the United States, “saved” a bear from death in 1902. At the time, bears were considered “a scourge, fierce predators that attacked livestock and terrified kids,” even though the woods and wildlife of the Mississippi delta had long been tamed.

According to the Washington Post,the president was on a bear-huntingparty with the governor of Mississippi. During the hunt a bear had been cornered by dogs, and in order to let the guest of honor shoot the bear, it had been tied to a tree.

“…the black bear specimen that the hunting party happened upon that fateful day…was mangy and exhausted from the long chase…one of Roosevelt’s companions thumped it over the head with his rifle… then the man blew into his bugle, summoning the president to deliver the fatal shot.”

However, the president refused to kill the terrified bear, although it was later dispatched by another member of the party (a part often left out of the story). A cartoonist for the Washington Post, Clifford Berryman, drew an interpretation of the tale, although he replaced the adult bear with a cub.

The public went crazy for the story of Roosevelt’s kindness and mercy toward the bear, and a forward-thinking New York candy-store owner crafted a stuffed toy named “Teddy’s Bear.” Roosevelt’s action, however it was originally meant, contributed in part to the modern conservation movement, as “animals were the underdogs now and it was our fault. We needed to do what Roosevelt did, and ‘draw the line.'”

Today, the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex occupies over 100,000 acres across seven wildlife refuges in the Mississippi delta, including land in Sharkey County near the 1902 bear hunt. Although the department is obviously keen to capitalize on Roosevelt’s name and the teddy bear connection, the story has endeared the bear to the nation’s heart and probably boosted its chances for survival.

U.S. Representative Ralph Abraham was quoted in the department’s statement as being “excited that our beloved Teddy Bear will be here for the next generation of Louisianans to enjoy.” As the Washington Postreports, “after more than 100 years the species finally does have something resembling a happy ending.”