Grizzly bears in North America face conflict with livestock and human development at the margins of their range. Non-lethal coexistence strategies protect both bear welfare and human safety more effectively than lethal removal.
Grizzly bear welfare is threatened at the margins of their range by human conflict that most commonly ends in lethal removal. Bears that approach livestock or enter residential areas are typically captured and relocated or killed. Capture involves chemical immobilisation causing brief physiological stress. Relocation to unfamiliar territory causes navigation stress and may pit relocated bears against resident bears. Bears killed in conflict resolution die for behaviour driven by food availability and learned behaviour — often originating with unintentional human food provision. Non-lethal alternatives including electric fencing, livestock guarding animals, and bear-safe food storage prevent the conflicts that lead to lethal management. Range expansion through corridor protection is the long-term welfare strategy for grizzly recovery.