Wildlife managers euthanize bear that bothered Idaho campers

Wildlife managers have trapped and killed a black bear after the animal kept making contact with people camping in a popular central Idaho recreation area.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game spokesman Kelton Hatch says over the last three weeks, the bear rubbed up against a woman reading a book near a stream, bothered campers as they were sleeping and even woke up one woman in a sleeping bag by putting his mouth around her foot.

Hatch says the bear was frightened away each time when campers yelled, but it was clearly habituated to human food and contact.

Department workers trapped the bear Saturday evening at a campground near the Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters north of Ketchum, and took it to a different site to be euthanized.

Hatch says people should keep their campsites clean and store food in vehicles or high in a tree. More information about bear safety is available at http://www.bebearaware.org .