Grizzly Bear Relocated
At the direction of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured and relocated an adult male grizzly bear on April 11, 2021.
The bear was captured while attempting to mitigate cattle depredation on private lands west of Meeteetse, WY. Because the bear was not the individual responsible for killing cattle, the decision was made to relocate the bear. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the bear was relocated to the Sunlight Creek drainage approximately 28 miles northwest of Cody, WY.
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. This particular site was chosen due to the lack of human presence and ability to release the bears several miles behind closed gates. 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.
Bears are relocated in accordance with state and federal law and regulation. Game and Fish continues to stress the importance of the public’s responsibility in bear management and the importance of keeping all attractants (food items, garbage, horse feed, bird seed, and others) unavailable to bears. Reducing attractants available to bears reduces human-bear conflicts. For more information on grizzly bear management and reducing the potential for conflicts please visit the Bear Wise Wyoming page: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Wildlife-in-Wyoming/More-Wildlife/Large-Carnivore/Grizzly-Bear-Management/Bear-Wise-Wyoming
For further information please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator, Hilary Cooley, at (406) 243-4903.
~WGFD~
The bear was captured while attempting to mitigate cattle depredation on private lands west of Meeteetse, WY. Because the bear was not the individual responsible for killing cattle, the decision was made to relocate the bear. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the bear was relocated to the Sunlight Creek drainage approximately 28 miles northwest of Cody, WY.
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. This particular site was chosen due to the lack of human presence and ability to release the bears several miles behind closed gates. 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.
Bears are relocated in accordance with state and federal law and regulation. Game and Fish continues to stress the importance of the public’s responsibility in bear management and the importance of keeping all attractants (food items, garbage, horse feed, bird seed, and others) unavailable to bears. Reducing attractants available to bears reduces human-bear conflicts. For more information on grizzly bear management and reducing the potential for conflicts please visit the Bear Wise Wyoming page: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Wildlife-in-Wyoming/More-Wildlife/Large-Carnivore/Grizzly-Bear-Management/Bear-Wise-Wyoming
For further information please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator, Hilary Cooley, at (406) 243-4903.
~WGFD~