First Wyoming Grizzly Relocation Of The Year Happens After Young Bear Caught Killing Calf

A young male grizzly bear was relocated on Friday after it was caught preying on a cow calf in Cody, officials with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said on Monday.

July 11, 20222 min read

Teton Grizzly Bear Patrick Wine14 1
(Cowboy State Daily Staff)

A young male grizzly bear was moved to a spot near Yellostone National Park on Friday after it was caught preying on a cow calf in Cody, officials with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said on Monday.

The bear was found preying on cattle on public lands and was captured after killing a calf, large carnivore Supervisor Dan Thompson told Cowboy State Daily on Monday. This is the first grizzly relocation of the year.

“The bear had no previous history of depredation so it was relocated to an area without cattle and marked for future monitoring purposes,” Thompson said.

The bear was taken to the Five Mile drainage area, which is about 5 miles from the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The site was chosen due to its lack of human presence.

Bears that are considered a threat to human safety are not relocated, but killed.

In March, the department released its annual grizzly bear report, which showed 45 bears were captured in 2021 in 49 separate incidents. Four bears were captured more than once.

Of those 45 bears, 30 were killed by the department, with at least one being killed due to poor health.

In 2020, only 18 grizzlies were killed by the department, while in 2018, 32 were killed.

The report said that 17 of the 30 bears killed were found outside of the demographic monitoring area, the area considered suitable for the long-term viability of grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Bears are killed after the department receives authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “after careful and thorough deliberation taking into account multiple factors unique to each conflict situation.”

Reasons for killing grizzlies include that they have grown used to getting food from human sources or that they have killed livestock.

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