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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Grizzly bear No. 211 has been captured by scientists 17 times in Yellowstone National Park.

Born in 1990 during the midst of a grizzly bear baby boom, he witnessed the return of wolves, and has become one of the most recognizable bruins by visitors who've dubbed him Scarface.

Scientists say the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population during his life has grown from about 300 to more than 750.

Scientists say it could be time to remove federal protections for the bears, and that will be one of the topics at an Interagency Grizzly Bear subcommittee meeting Tuesday and Wednesday in Jackson, Wyoming.

Scarface weighed 600 pounds in 2001. But he weighed 338 pounds earlier this fall, and scientists say No. 211 likely won't survive past next spring.

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