The California Grizzly
Extinct circa 1922 CE
The grizzly is believed to have once numbered 10,000 within the state of California. With the arrival of European explorers, gold miners and others California's growing population forced the bear inland from coastal and lowland areas. The bear became a target for hunters for sport to assist farmers and ranchers and simply for bragging rights. “The California grizzly bear passed into extinction with little fanfare. Scarce by the 1880's, the grizzly population dwindled until the last bear was shot in Fresno in 1922.”
1. The University of California, Berkeley. (2002). Bear in Mind: The California Grizzly at The Bancroft Library. The Bancroft Library Online. Retrieved here.
2. The University of California, Berkeley. (2003). Bear in Mind: Themes. The Bancroft Library Online. Retrieved here.
Image: Forest Service, USDA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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