Bill That Aimed To Reintroduce Grizzly Bears In California Thrown Out By Assembly Committee

A state bill that aimed to reintroduce the symbol of the California flag, the now extinct within the state borders grizzly bear, was abruptly thrown off the docket. Here are details from NBC Los Angeles:

The Assembly Appropriations Committee spiked Inglewood Democratic Sen. Laura Richardson’s Senate Bill 1305. The measure would have tasked the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with creating a “roadmap that evaluates whether, and under what conditions, reintroduction of the grizzly bear is feasible and advisable.”

Wicks later told reporters that before intentionally reintroducing grizzly bears, the state must figure out how humans can best coexist with predatory wildlife. She pointed to the controversial return of gray wolves to California and the subsequent loss of cattle.

“The state needs to really invest in how we are actually addressing and dealing with those conflicts,” she said.