Food-conditioned grizzly bear in Big Sky euthanized

Montana – After getting food conditioned in Big Sky and posing a threat to human safety, a grizzly bear had to be put to death.

According to a press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the bear grew accustomed to getting rubbish out of unlocked bear-restraint containers and a car. After the attractants were safely stowed and surrounded by electric fencing, attempts to haze the bear were allegedly unsuccessful.

According to FWP, the bear was arrested on August 4 and put to death on August 6 because it developed the habit of looking for food from unconventional sources and posed a threat to human safety. It was a female grizzly bear that was thought to be between three and five years old and childless.

According to FWP, relocating bears that have come to associate human activities with food can increase conflict and raise safety issues.

In Montana, grizzlies are growing more common, increasing the probability that locals and tourists may see them in new places each year. The press statement claims that bears become more active in the late summer and early fall as they get ready to hibernate.

FWP offers the following safety measures to help locals, tourists, and those who work outdoors stay away from unpleasant bear encounters:

• Keep garbage, bird feeders, pet food, and other attractants put away in a secure building or certified bear-resistant container. Keep garbage in a secure building until the day it is collected. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are available in many areas.
• Never feed wildlife. Bears that become food conditioned lose their natural foraging behavior and pose threats to human safety. It is illegal to feed bears in Montana.
• Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately.
• Travel in groups whenever possible and make casual noise, which can help alert bears to your presence.
• Stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears.
• Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency.
• If you encounter a bear, never approach it. Leave the area when it is safe to do so.