Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) says on Thursday, July 18, 2024, staff shot and killed a food-conditioned grizzly bear that had been breaking into homes in and around Gardiner.
According to a news release, FWP received a report early Thursday morning that a bear had broken into a home in Maiden Basin, north of Gardiner. The release said, "FWP staff responded and dispatched the bear while it was in the Yellowstone River."
FWP recovered the carcass Thursday afternoon and confirmed it was the same bear that had been involved in several recent conflicts, according to the release.
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FWP said reports of conflicts began in early June and increased in frequency over the past three weeks. The grizzly reportedly sought out "unsecured attractants at residences, businesses and vehicles," according to the release. Among the attractants were garbage, human food, barbecue grills, and pet food.
The FWP release continues as follows:
"The bear also broke into several occupied residences to retrieve food, including homes in Gardiner and Maiden Basin, as well as a National Park Service employee house in Mammoth. Several property owners attempted to haze the bear, but it returned to Gardiner and surrounding areas almost nightly to obtain food.
No human injuries were reported.
FWP staff and Bear Aware Gardiner offered extensive educational outreach, working with several property owners to secure or upgrade their garbage cans or install electric fencing.
With human safety as a top priority, and in consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, FWP bear specialists began nightly efforts to trap and remove the bear. However, the wide availability of unsecured attractants, combined with the bear being active almost exclusively at night, limited opportunities to remove the animal without creating additional human safety risks.
These events and management efforts led to increased bear awareness in the community, an elevated patrol presence this week, and the safe removal of the habituated bear minutes after it had broken into an occupied home.
Bear specialists had collected genetic samples from the bear at several conflict locations. These samples matched a genetic profile for a known adult male grizzly bear that had been captured previously for research purposes and given a numbered ear tag. The bear killed Thursday had the same ear tag and was confirmed to be involved in the recent conflicts.
FWP would like to thank staff from the U.S. Forest Service, Yellowstone National Park, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team for their assistance with the capture effort. FWP would also like to thank Gardiner residents who offered assistance where possible.
As residents continue their efforts to secure attractants, they will help avoid future conflicts with wildlife."
FWP reminds the public that Montana is bear country, and grizzly populations continue to become more dense and widespread. People should be prepared to encounter grizzlies in Montana, including places where they haven’t been present for decades.
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Residents, businesses and visitors are asked to store food, garbage and other attractants securely indoors or in certified bear-resistant containers. Feeding wildlife, including bears, is illegal in Montana and can lead to fines and other penalties.
Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states remain listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
