Yellowstone urges campers to be bear aware

Two black bears have been killed and another is being sought after a busy summer of bear activity at Yellowstone National Park. All three bears became habituated to humans, showed no fear around people, and demonstrated food-conditioned behavior.

Yellowstone National Park biologists are looking for a black bear that has caused property damage to tents in vehicles while looking for human food at the Indian Creek Campground since July 18.

Park staff hazed the bear away from the campground, but they also set up remote cameras. If the bear returns, rangers will take appropriate action to either haze the animal away or remove it.

It is just the latest of several recent bear encounters at Yellowstone this summer.

In June, a black bear bit into an occupied tent and bruised a woman’s thigh at a back country campsite along Little Cottonwood Creek. The tent fabric and a sleeping bag kept the bite from breaking her skin.

Rangers suspect that bear may have been the same animal that gained access to human food in the same area in previous years.

Rangers set up cameras and a decoy tent at the campsite. With rangers present, the bear did return and aggressively tore up the decoy. It was killed on site June 11.

In early July, a black bear ate about 10 pounds of human food that was left unattended while campers at a site along the Lamar River Trail were packing up gear. The bear revisited another group of campers at the same site the following night. Their attempts to haze the bear away failed.

Rangers relocated the campers from the area and the bear was killed July 10. That incident is still under investigation.

Park officials say the incidents are a reminder that human carelessness not only endangers people but bears as well. Bears that gain access to human food once often leads them to become aggressive towards people. Park officials’ options depend on circumstances, but can end in additional hazing or removal.

According to the Park, Yellowstone does not typically relocate bears for three reasons. First, there are no areas to move the bear where it would not have continued opportunity to injure people or damage property. Second, surrounding states don’t want food-conditioned bears relocated into their jurisdictions. And third, adult bears have large home ranges and good memories. They could easily return to the original site.

Visitors are advised to stay at least 100 yards away from bears and to store food and scented items properly.

Black bears are common in Yellowstone. About half of them are black in color, but others are brown, blond, or cinnamon.

You can learn more about the animals here.