Bears Plush

Bears Plush

Giant Teddy Bears and the Grizzlies of Yellowstone

Giant teddy bears are made for children of all ages. Even adults can enjoy a giant teddy bear or two. Whether they are used simply to decorate a room or act as a type of a security blanket for their owner, giant teddy bears can fulfill many needs.

Three decades ago, the grizzly bear had all but disappeared from Yellowstone National Park. The situation was so dire in fact, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed it on their threatened and endangered species list. Thanks to cooperation from both federal and state agencies, along with various individuals and conservation groups, as of 2005, the grizzly population is once again thriving in the park.

Since the grizzly population in Yellowstone is doing so well, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has removed the species from the "threatened" list. However, four other grizzly populations found living in the lower 48 states, haven't been so lucky; their numbers have not yet recovered and as a result will remain protected under the Act.

In 1975, when the Yellowstone grizzlies were listed as threatened, there were between just 136 and 312 bears living at the time. Today, there are more than 500. Their listing as threatened was because of loss of habitat and high death rates due to ongoing conflicts with humans. In 1973, an interagency scientific study was put together and as a result, the grizzlies living in Yellowstone became the most intensely studied bears in the world. Then, in 1980, the IBGC – Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee – was formed. It's made up of the USDA Forest Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state wildlife agencies of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the Washington Bureau of Land Management. The Canadian provinces provinces of British Columbia and Alberta are also involved. Private organizations along with some Universities also contributed to both the conservation and study. The IBGC's mission was to manage death of the bears and their habitat in addition to working on building up public support for them. This new agency also was responsible for putting in place the right regulatory systems for the [bear] population.

The Yellowstone grizzly population has grown every year at a rate of 4 to 7 percent since the early 1990s. Since their listing as "threatened," their range has also increased by 48 percent. In addition, grizzlies have been spotted by biologists some 60 miles from what had been previously thought to the outer limits of where they lived.

If you have a preference toward grizzlies, when purchasing giant teddy bears, look for the differences. Although this writer believes teddy plush and bear plush are not the same, they can be whatever you want them to be. The main differences between [wild] grizzlies and other bears is that they're larger and heavier. To tell them apart from black bears, look no further than their much longer, curved claws, humped shoulders and a face that looks to be concave. Of course, with giant teddy bears, you won't find those types of distinguishing features – just look for the brown coloring and you're good to go.

giant teddy bears

giant teddy bears

Copyright Shelley Vassall, 2010. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

 

About the Author

Shelley Vassall is a writer and collector of giant teddy bears

giant teddy bears

Trying to find Care Bears plush toys?

I'm from Canada and I've checked the major department stores around here but have had no luck in finding Care Bears. Preferably the plush toys. Wish Bear to be exact.
Anyone know if they are not being sold anymore? Or if they are, where can I get them?
Please don't say online because I do not have credit cards.

Wal-mart, you can do "site-to-store", which does not require a credit card

2 gloomy bear chocolate plush toys