An Oregon zoo will receive a recently caught grizzly bear baby

Helena, Montana – The wildlife rehabilitation facility run by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) in Helena is currently housing a newly caught bear cub linked to a tragic mauling that occurred in West Yellowstone in July.

“We want to see wildlife stay in the wild but given the circumstances that we are faced with this cub, this is a good outcome,” says FWP spokesman Greg Lemon.

On September 2, the grizzly bear sow was put to death. Amie Adamson, 48, of Kansas was killed by this bear in July close to West Yellowstone.

A person was also hurt by a bear in Idaho in 2020.

Following Adamson’s passing, wildlife managers made unsuccessful attempts to capture the bear.

That is until a call was made reporting that a bear with her cub had broken into a home while the residents were inside and taken a canister of dog food, alerting authorities to the bear’s whereabouts.

A male cub weighing 46 pounds was taken. The sow was put to death.

According to Lemon, it is against FWP protocol to re-release captured grizzly bear pups into the wild.

The worry, according to him, is that the youngster might become accustomed to being around people, which could lead to a bear-human conflict in the future.

“So far we’ve been very fortunate in finding zoo placement for grizzly bear cubs that have come through our facility,” says Lemon.

Black bears are generally much more frightened of humans than grizzly bears, according to Lemon, so black bear cubs are unique in this regard.

The youngster is currently being cared for at FWP’s Montana WILD rehabilitation facility in Helena as it waits to be transferred to the Wildlife Safari Zoo in Oregon.

“This sort of highlights just the need to continue to be aware of living in bear country,” says Lemon.
As this month is Bear Aware Month, Lemon also wanted to urge folks to exercise extra caution when walking outside.
People can, for instance, exercise caution, carry bear spray and be familiar with its usage, make noise, travel in groups, and store food indoors or in bear-resistant garbage cans.