Wildlife technician bitten by bear

A wildlife technician was bitten by a grizzly bear in Island Park on Monday.

Brett Panting, who worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society, was collecting habitat data as part of a grizzly bear habitat research project. He was in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, near the Davis Lake Area of Big Bend Ridge when the surprise encounter occurred, the Idaho Fish and Game said.

After the bear bit Panting, it ran off. Other volunteers were able to transport Panting to the Eastern Idaho Medical Center. He was treated for puncture wounds and cuts and was being held for minor surgery and observation.

Caribou-Targhee National Forest staff are working with Idaho Fish and Game to determine on how to proceed with the situation and affected livestock permitees are being contacted.

All of Island Park is habitat for both black and grizzly bears. Anyone using the forest is encouraged to carry bear spray and to make noise while moving through dense vegetation.

Find out more about bears at http://www.igbconline.org/ .