Trump Officials Just Provided 'a Gift to Trophy Hunting' in the Form of Yellowstone Grizzly Bears

The decision by President Donald Trump's administration to remove the Yellowstone grizzly bear from the list of endangered species has been called "a gift to trophy hunting" by conservation groups.

Related: Killing of famed Yellowstone grizzly intensifies protection debate

The bear has enjoyed protected status for 42 years, during which time its numbers grew to more than 700 from just 136. On Thursday, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said it is now time to call the operation a success and to remove the bear from the Endangered Species Act, instead allowing states to take control over its future.

"This achievement stands as one of America's great conservation successes; the culmination of decades of hard work and dedication on the part of state, tribal, federal and private partners," Zinke said in a statement. "As a Montanan, I am proud of what we've achieved together."

The move, which was first proposed by the previous administration of President Barack Obama last year, will go into effect 30 days after it is published in the federal register. At least immediately, it will not lead to open season on grizzly bear hunting. As well as being restricted to the bears that travel outside of the park's boundaries, hunts will only be allowed if the number of bears remains above 600.

However, many conservationists argue that Thursday's decision adds yet another threat to the future survival of the bears, whose habitat they say is already endangered by climate change.

"The Trump Administration's delisting maneuver is a gift to trophy hunting and oil and gas interests," Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States, tells Newsweek in an email. "The bears continue to face an array of threats, and the last thing they need are wealthy elites chasing them down and shooting them for trophies."

The action will not affect the nearly 1,000 grizzlies inhabiting Glacier National Park in Montana. But experts have said protections for those bears could soon similarly be removed, according to The New York Times.

Prior to the 1850s and the onset of widespread hunting and trapping, grizzly bears across North America numbered around 50,000. And some conservationists have argued that placing their conservation back in the hands of states, which can use hunting as a form of population control, is an unnecessary risk. Indeed, Tim Preso, an attorney for environmental law firm Earthjustice, has said that legal action to prevent the change is already being considered.

"We're certainly prepared to take a stand to protect the grizzly, if necessary," he told the Associated Press. "There's only one Yellowstone. There's only one place like this. We ought not to take an unjustified gamble with an iconic species of this region."

In addition to conservation groups, the move has also been opposed by Native American tribes, for whom the grizzly bear is a sacred animal. A treaty opposing hunting of the bear has been signed by 125 tribes.

Zinke, a former senator from Montana, has a lifetime score of just 4 percent from the League of Conservation Voters, with the group indicating that of 73 votes on bills with environmental impact, only three were pro-environment.

Trump's two sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, are known to be fond of big-game hunting and have previously attracted criticism for posing for photos alongside dead animals, including a leopard and an elephant.