Victory for Yellowstone's grizzly bears as court rules they cannot be hunted

Fish and Wildlife Service had sought to strip safeguards, which would have allowed a limited number to obtain hunting licenses

In a stunning victory for wildlife conservationists and indigenous tribes - and for bears - a US court ruled on Wednesday that grizzly bears living in the vast Yellowstone ecosystem will remain federally protected and not be subjected to sport hunting.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service had sought to strip Yellowstone-area grizzlies of safeguards conferred by the Endangered Species Act. This would have allowed the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho to permit a limited number of people to obtain hunting licenses, though sport hunting would have remained prohibited within Yellowstone itself.