Troublesome grizzly captured and killed
Yellowstone National Park biologists have killed an aggressive bear near Heart Lake in the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The young grizzly was repeatedly involved in conflicts with humans.
According to the park, the bear began exhibiting bold behavior towards humans in 2015. Wyoming Game and Fish personnel captured and tagged the bear at that time and relocated it to the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
In 2016, the bear entered campsites in the Heart Lake area and destroyed backpacker tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads. National Park Service personnel tried to change the bear’s ways by using electric decoy tents, electric food sack decoys, and hazing it with bean bags, rubber bullets, and cracker shells. All of those efforts failed. Attempts to trap the bear also failed.
Hikers spotted the bear around campsites and tents in the Heart Lake area again this year. On the night of August 26, the animal forced a group of three backpackers out of their campsite and consumed their food.
Yellowstone closed the area to back country camping on August 27 and set traps for the bear on September 1.
The bear was captured and killed on the morning of September 8.
Park officials said allowing bears to obtain human food even once often leads to them becoming aggressive toward people.
