Grizzly bear relocated from Jackson to Moran
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CORRECTION: The bear was moved to an area near Moran in Wyoming, not Idaho as previously reported.
JACKSON, Wyoming — Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured and relocated a adolescent male grizzly bear on Aug. 26. Officials from the department said it had to relocate the animal to safeguard both the bear and the public.
Wyoming Game and Fish coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Caribou-Targhee National Forest in its relocation efforts. The bear was moved to the Fall River drainage, about 28 miles northwest of Moran.
“The grizzly bear was captured and relocated due to habituated roadside behavior,” the Wyoming Game and Fish Department stated in a news release, noting humans were also “negligent” in their behaviors toward the bear.
Game and Fish had made “substantial efforts” to prevent people from practicing “unethical wildlife viewing practices”; however, they were unsuccessful.
WHY RELOCATION?
Relocation is a management tool used to minimize conflicts between humans and bears. It is critical to managing the expanding population of grizzly bears in the intermountain west, said officials.
“Capture is necessary when other deterrents or preventative options are exhausted or unattainable,” the news release stated.
Once a bear is captured, the circumstances surrounding the issue are carefully weighed to determine if the animal can be relocated. If so, officials choose a site by considering the age and sex of the bear, as well as the type of conflict the bear was involved in and the potential for human activity in the area.
“With any relocation, Game and Fish consults with appropriate agencies to minimize the chance of future conflicts and maximize the relocated grizzly bear’s survival,” officials said in the news release.
In some cases, a bear may be considered a threat to human safety. When that happens, officials cannot successfully relocate the animal, and will euthanize it.
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
Wyoming Game and Fish and Idaho Fish and Game continue to stress the public’s responsibility in safe wildlife viewing, bear management and the importance of keeping all attractants such as food, garbage, horse feed and bird seed appropriately secured.
Protect yourself and the bears – secure your food, say officials
“Reducing attractants available to bears reduces human-bear conflicts, and in some cases, relocations,” the department said.
For more information on bear safety, visit the Idaho Fish and Game website or Bear Wise Wyoming.