Just 150 years ago, between 50,000 and 100,000 grizzlies roamed western North America, ranging from the Great Plains to the California beaches. Grizzly bears were once common in the Southwest, where 1,000 to 2,000 grizzlies likely inhabited grasslands, riversides, and mountains. Today, barely 800 grizzlies live in the contiguous states.
None remain in the Southwest.
Grizzly bears currently occupy less than two percent of their original range and numbers. Livestock eliminated much of the vegetation that comprises around 90 percent of the grizzly's diet. As a result, some bears turned to livestock. And starting in 1914, Congress began appropriating money to a special government agency designed to exterminate stock-eating animals. Grizzly bears were almost wiped out through predator control, habitat destruction, commercial trapping, and hunting.