Grizzly bears may return to their ancestral homeland California

Nearly 92 years after the very last California grizzly bear was killed in Tulare County, an environmental group has proposed to make serious efforts for grizzlies to return to their ancestral homeland.

In a petition to the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Center for Biological Diversity last month urged add locations to the existing grizzly bear recovery zones.

The group suggested that the addition of the Sierra Nevada, Mogollon Rim and Grand Canyon in Arizona and Gila Wilderness in New Mexico; and Uinta Mountains in Utah, for establishing new homes for grizzly bears.

Wildlife Biologist Carlos Carroll, of Orleans' Klamath Center for Conservation Research, suggested that the national parks could play a key role in the successful return of grizzly bears.

In a recent interview, Carroll said, "Our work has suggested that southern Sierra Nevada is a potentially suitable habitat with large area without human settlements, for the most part, and low number of roads and a core area of national park."

It means Kings Canyon, Yosemite and Sequoia national parks could offer potential homes to grizzly bears in the golden State. However, some people are worried about the potential threats from the return of the predator that can grow as large as 2,200 pounds.

There are nearly 1,800 bears in the lower 48 states, and none in California. The grizzly bears exist in only a few spots outside of Alaska, in Yellowstone and Glacier national parks in Montana and Wyoming.