UPDATE: Dead bear’s claws were removed and dumped in Island Park
UPDATE June 20, 2016:
Idaho Fish & Game said a bear found dead in Island Park on June 4 was dumped where it was found and believe it was killed elsewhere.
Wildlife managers said some of the bear’s front claws were removed, which is illegal to possess any portion of a threatened species.
The bear was reported to Idaho Fish & Game on June 4. It was located on Idaho state land near East Dry Creek, off the Yale-Kilgore Road, they said.
Idaho Fish & Game also announced Citizens Against Poaching has increased their reward to $1,200. It was originally set at $600. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition is contributing $5000 each to the reward, for a combined total of $11,200.
Two other organizations (Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society of the United States and Human Society Wildlife Land Trust) are also offering a reward of $5000 each.
With a grand total of all rewards being $21,200.
ORIGINAL Story June 6, 2016:
The Idaho Department of Fish & Game is asking for the public’s help with the investigation of the illegal killing of a young grizzly bear in Island Park.
The Idaho Department of Fish & Game is working with the United States Fish & Wildlife Service to investigate the bear’s death.
The bear was reported to the Citizens Against Poaching (CAP) Hotline during the weekend of June 4th. Conservations Officers investigating the tip located the decomposing carcass of the bear on Caribou-Targhee National Forest land near East Dry Creek, off the Yale-Kilgore Road. Initial evidence indicated that the bear had been dead a few weeks and that it did not die naturally.
A specially trained IDFG canine was brought in to search the area and help officers locate clues. Officers are reaching out to the public for anyone who may have knowledge about what happened with the bear.
If someone wants to provide information they can do so anonymously by calling the CAP Hotline. Because of the seriousness of the violation, the USFWS has agreed to add $5,000 to the potential reward available. The current amount the CAP program has designated for information about a grizzly bear killing is $600, but the CAP Board is meeting next week to discuss the possibility of enhancing that amount. The CAP Hotline can be reached at 1-800-632-5999 and is staffed 24/7.
