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Yaak grizzly sow killed, two cubs orphaned
Posted on September 27
By MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian
LIBBY n A female grizzly bear was killed by bowhunters in the Yaak Valley last weekend, the latest in a string of violent run-ins between bears and people.
Wildlife managers, who are investigating the incident, said the hunters have claimed self-defense.
The 11-year-old female was traveling with two cubs, they said, one of which has since been captured and fitted with a radio collar. Researchers will use DNA to determine if, in fact, the female grizzly is the same bear captured and tagged as a yearling in 1997.
Scientists have kept close tabs on the Yaak’s bears, as the population there is considered precarious. Only about two dozen grizzlies are thought to persist there, with another dozen or so living south of Yaak in the Cabinet Mountains.
The incident comes less than a week after a grizzly bear was shot and killed on the Flathead Indian Reservation, near the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge.
That bear’s front claws were removed, presumably by the shooter, and a $5,000 reward has been posted for information in the case.
In the week prior to that shooting, a whopping 10 adult grizzlies were captured and relocated in northwestern Montana, after the bears were found nosing around cabins and orchards.
Wildlife managers said both grizzly and black bears are gorging on calories this time of year, trying to pack away fat before taking to their winter dens. They encourage residents to remove any possible attractants, such a birdfeeders, animal food and garbage.
One bear, tracked and identified by DNA but not yet captured, broke into nine unoccupied cabins near Condon this month, tearing into refrigerators in search of food. He is thought to be the same bear that broke into Forest Service cabins last fall, and wildlife managers continue efforts to capture the bear.
Most of the problems should fix themselves in coming weeks, wildlife officials said, as the bears den in for the cold months.
Posted on September 27
By MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian
LIBBY n A female grizzly bear was killed by bowhunters in the Yaak Valley last weekend, the latest in a string of violent run-ins between bears and people.
Wildlife managers, who are investigating the incident, said the hunters have claimed self-defense.
The 11-year-old female was traveling with two cubs, they said, one of which has since been captured and fitted with a radio collar. Researchers will use DNA to determine if, in fact, the female grizzly is the same bear captured and tagged as a yearling in 1997.
Scientists have kept close tabs on the Yaak’s bears, as the population there is considered precarious. Only about two dozen grizzlies are thought to persist there, with another dozen or so living south of Yaak in the Cabinet Mountains.
The incident comes less than a week after a grizzly bear was shot and killed on the Flathead Indian Reservation, near the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge.
That bear’s front claws were removed, presumably by the shooter, and a $5,000 reward has been posted for information in the case.
In the week prior to that shooting, a whopping 10 adult grizzlies were captured and relocated in northwestern Montana, after the bears were found nosing around cabins and orchards.
Wildlife managers said both grizzly and black bears are gorging on calories this time of year, trying to pack away fat before taking to their winter dens. They encourage residents to remove any possible attractants, such a birdfeeders, animal food and garbage.
One bear, tracked and identified by DNA but not yet captured, broke into nine unoccupied cabins near Condon this month, tearing into refrigerators in search of food. He is thought to be the same bear that broke into Forest Service cabins last fall, and wildlife managers continue efforts to capture the bear.
Most of the problems should fix themselves in coming weeks, wildlife officials said, as the bears den in for the cold months.
