Two more grizzly bear deaths have been reported in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Agency spokesman Dillon Tabish says one of the bears, an adult female, was killed on U.S. Highway 2, outside East Glacier last week.
“She had been in that area crossing the highways pretty frequently according to her radio collar.”
This is the tenth bear killed by a vehicle collision in the NCDE this year, already a record year for grizzlies killed by cars in the region.
The bear was accompanied by a yearling cub that survived. The cub was allowed to remain in the wild.
Tabish says another grizzly, an adult male without a radio collar, was found dead in Crow Creek south of Ronan recently. Its cause of death is unknown, but it was bruised. There were no bullet holes or any other signs to indicate the bear was illegally killed.
The total number of bears killed or removed from the NCDE this year is now 30, the annual average for grizzlies killed or removed is 25.
Tabish says the time of year when conflicts with bears are likely to increase is just ahead.
“The fall is when bears are very active, trying to eat as much food as possible before winter. So clean up and secure attractants as much as possible, will really reduce conflicts with bears.”
***This post was updated on Aug. 30 to reflect that the male grizzly found dead in Cow Creek was not wearing a radio collar.
