Two young adult grizzly bears euthanized in the Lincoln-area were quickly earning a reputation for getting into food-related conflicts. Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Vivica Crowser says the trouble started in late August.
"Mostly they've been related to chicken coops, a lot of chicken coops in and near town. Some of those secured with electric fencing, and that's really a great deterrent for bears, but those that were not secured drew those bears in. Also, some livestock feed that they got access to.”
Crowser says the decision to euthanize, instead of relocating, problem bears is never easy and is always taken on a case-by-case basis.
"It can be a pretty hard habit to break once bears get conditioned to use unnatural foods, and pretty quickly escalate into something that can be a human safety concern. That’s what we were looking at in this case. Just too much time, too much consistent behavior that was concerning."
FWP says bear conflicts have seen an uptick around Montana this season. A grizzly grievously wounded a woman hiking outside Columbia Falls on August 31st.
Natural bear foods such as chokecherries are limited this year. Bears are seeking alternative foods anywhere they can find them, including in town.
Montanans are asked to secure all potential food sources including garbage, small livestock, barbecues and bird feeders.
