The Mexican grizzly's range may have crossed with that of the California grizzly, which is why its downfall mirrored that of the California grizzly. Spanish conquistadors like Coronado hunted grizzly when they first visited western Mexico and the Southwestern United States in 1540. Ranchers would kill grizzlies with poisoned bait balls to protect their livestock in the 1700’s. In the 1800’s, bears were captured and forced to fight bulls as a source of entertainment for the people flocking to the west coast. In the 1930’s the Mexican grizzly was considered scarce, only seen on three mountains north of Chihuahua City. By 1960, only 30 bears were left. At this time it was protected, but people continued to hunt them. In 1964, it was thought to be extinct. In 1976, one final Mexican grizzly bear was shot in Sonora. This marked the end of the Mexican grizzly. The Atlas bears met a similar fate as the Mexican and California grizzlies. It roamed more remote regions, so wasn’t as much of a nuisance animal like the North American bears. Atlas bears, Barbary lions, and Barbary leopards were forced to fight in Roman coliseums, though they were able to hide in the remote regions of the Atlas Mountains when firearms made hunting more efficient and effective, the Atlas bear population quickly declined. The Barbary lion, which shared the same range as the Atlas bear, met the same fate. The last Atlas bear was killed in Northern Morocco in 1870 in the Tetouan Mountains. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The Atlas bear and the Mexican Grizzly may be good candidates. Scientists would potentially use DNA from one of the specimens at museums. The United States has made many strides in protecting endangered species through many initiatives like the US Endangered Species Act of 1972. Since 1972, many species including the American bison, bald eagle, black-footed ferret, and grizzly bear have been saved from risk of extinction. There is currently a 10 year old debate in the state of California about whether grizzlies should be brought back into the state of California. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service rejected an initial petition to reintroduce the grizzly into California in 2014. Since then scientists, citizens, and California Native American tribes have created the California Grizzly Alliance to continue to push for the return of the golden bear to the Golden Coast. The debate is heated and the results are mixed about whether the state animal that flies on every California state flag would or should make a comeback into the state it once called home. If the Mexican grizzly or Atlas bear was brought back to life, would people welcome this lost apex predator back into its native homeland in Mexico or Morocco?