Authorities deal with bears, food-related issues
Elizabeth Anderson
Residents and visitors are reminded that bears roam throughout Montana, so keep food sources out of reach of the wild animals.
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
News complied from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Glacier National Park press releases
WESTERN MONTANA — In the past two weeks state and federal authorities have euthanized two bears, investigated the death of three others, and relocated a separate pair as part of conservation efforts.
The activities occurred west of the Rocky Mountain Front and serve as a reminder of the numbers of bears that roam the area and the potential for bear-human conflict.
On June 10, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks personnel euthanized a yearling black bear in the Lake Mary Ronan area, because of its close proximity to people in campgrounds.
A press release from the organization said that the bear was able to access improperly stored camp foods, which taught the animal to seek people as a food resource. It became so unafraid of people that it searched occupied campsites for food.
Officials at Lake Mary Ronan State Park and Mountain Meadows RV Park enforced storage rules to no avail and the bear was put down because the animal was a threat to people.
Food-related issues also caused Glacier National Park to euthanize a black bear on June 17 in the Many Glacier area.
The black bear was captured on Sunday, June 15, after entering a park residence near the Many Glacier park entrance. The bear broke several windows, a screen door, and managed to enter the residence after breaking through the back door. Park rangers stated it appears the bear rummaged through garbage and recycling while inside the residence. No people were injured during the incident.
Park rangers also report witnessing several incidents in which the bear was found foraging for food near the Many Glacier Road and physically contacting visitor vehicles. This bear was determined to be a food-conditioned bear and a potential threat to human safety.
After Glacier National Park personnel verified that the correct animal had been captured through distinct markings, the bear was euthanized. The male bear was approximately five years old and weighed 160 pounds.
In a separate case, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Enforcement worked last week with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to find out how three young grizzly bears died. The bears were recently found in the Ferndale area.
Additional details were not available, but anyone with information was asked to call 1-800-TIP-MONT. Callers are anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.
Some bears authorities recently dealt with were allowed to stay in the land of the living. Two young female grizzly bears were relocated June 20 to the Cabinet Mountains. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks captured the two, sibling 2-year old grizzly bears in Deadhorse Creek in the Whitefish Range. The bears were captured in the backcountry specifically to be relocated to the Cabinet Mountains as part of an on-going grizzly bear population augmentation program. The bears have no history of conflict with humans and have never been captured before. The bears were released above Spar Lake in the Kootenai National Forest.
This program is an on-going effort to boost and recover the grizzly bear population in the Cabinet Mountains. Under the program, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks captures bears in backcountry areas of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and US Fish and Wildlife Service monitors the animals after their release in the Cabinet Mountains. All grizzly bears relocated to the Cabinets are monitored with a radio collar until their collars drop off. The collars utilize the global positioning system to gather locations every few hours in order to follow the bears’ movements.
The relocation of these female grizzly bears marks the 12th and 13th grizzly bears to be released into the Cabinet Mountains since 2005.
