Wapiti area grizzly bear relocated

Another “non-target” grizzly bear was captured and relocated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department Tuesday.

The bear was caught while personnel were attempting to mitigate human-bear conflicts on private land east of Wapiti, Wyoming In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the bear was relocated to Blackrock Creek drainage, about 20 miles east of Moran Junction.

Bears that are considered a threat to human safety are not relocated. Grizzly bear relocation is a management tool afforded to large carnivore biologists to minimize conflicts between humans and grizzly bears and is critical to the management of the population. When other options are exhausted or unattainable, Game and Fish will attempt to capture the bear.

Once the animal is captured, all circumstances are taken into account when determining if the individual should be relocated or removed from the population. If relocation is warranted, the selection of a relocation site is determined taking into consideration the age, sex, and type of conflict the bear was involved in as well as potential human activity in the vicinity of the relocation site.

According to Wyoming Game and Fish, the particular site in this case was chosen due to the lack of human presence in the area. Consultation with the appropriate personnel and agencies occurs to minimize the chance of future conflicts and maximize the survival potential of the relocated grizzly bear. Bears that are deemed an immediate threat to human safety are not released back into the wild.

KIFI 2019