Grizzly trapped and relocated on Caribou-Targhee National Forest

The following is a news release from Idaho Fish and Game.

After consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) relocated an approximately 4-year-old male grizzly bear on July 2.

Wildlife Services began trapping near Coyote Meadows, in an area that has experienced confirmed cattle depredation from grizzly bears over the past week. On the night of July 1, a young grizzly bear was captured while visiting the kill site. Given the bear’s smaller track size when compared with tracks previously found in the area, it was determined not to be the target bear. Without any direct evidence tying this bear to a depredation, the decision was made to relocate.

In cooperation with the USFWS and the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the young male grizzly was immobilized, given a body condition and health assessment, fitted with a GPS collar, and relocated to a remote area in the Fish Creek drainage on Forest Service land approximately 12 miles from the City of Island Park.

While not always possible, relocation is a management tool that wildlife biologists use to minimize conflicts between humans and grizzly bears. Relocation sites are chosen after considering the age, sex, and type of conflict the bear was involved in, as well as the proximity to nearby human activity. Because of the inability to move bears across state lines and the limited size of Idaho’s grizzly bear recovery zone within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, few suitable relocation sites exist.

Grizzly bears are federally protected and relocated in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations. IDFG is required to update the public whenever a grizzly bear is relocated and will continue to monitor this bear’s movements and activities. Before any relocation occurs, IDFG consults with the appropriate agencies to minimize the chance of future conflicts and maximize the relocated grizzly bear’s chance of survival.

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