March 2016
ALLULAH, LA – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced that due to 24 years dedicated recovery efforts by a broad array of partners, the Louisiana black bear — the inspiration forthe teddy bear — will be removed from the Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. The species restoration is a significant conservation success and further demonstrates the value of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Jewell was joined by U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Ann Mills, U.S. Department of the Interior Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Michael Bean, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Charlie Melancon, and other conservation partners at the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana to celebrate the success.
The fabled bear became part of American culture after a hunting trip to Mississippi in 1902, where President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear that was trapped and tied to a tree by members of his hunting party. The episode was featured in a cartoon in The Washington Post, sparking the idea for a Brooklyn candy-store owner to create the “Teddy” bear.
Additional information is available at http://www.fws.gov/southeast/.
