‘Aggressive’ grizzly charges family on picnic at Glacier National Park, officials say
A “food-conditioned,” 5-year-old grizzly bear had to be put down after she charged at a family having a picnic inside a Montana national park, officials said.
The bear had grown “increasingly aggressive” after finding unsecured human food, and became a “threat to human safety,” Glacier National Park officials said in a news release.
The bear was first reported roaming around the Many Glacier Campground on June 27, where she munched on food from a picnic table, officials said.
Since the bear had “received a food reward,” park officials closed the campground to tents and soft-sided campers.
Park staff had to chase the bear out of the campground two more times. Then, after radio tracking showed she hadn’t returned for several days, the campground reopened to all campers July 10, officials said.
But the bear turned up again July 18, this time at the Swiftcurrent Lake Boat Launch about a mile from the campground. There, she charged at the family having a picnic along the shoreline, officials said.
The bear didn’t get the family’s food, but she gulped down the beverages they had cooling in the lake, officials said. The family reported the scary encounter to park staff right away.
Officials decided with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to capture and remove the bear. They euthanized her on July 20, near Lake Sherburne, east of the picnic area.
She was the first food-conditioned grizzly euthanized in the park since 2009, officials said.
She was one of 10 female grizzlies park staff monitored as part of a grizzly bear population study — out of 300 estimated grizzlies in the park.
“Once a bear receives a human food reward, it can become food conditioned,” officials said. “Food rewards can include items such as human food, trash, livestock feed, and pet food. Over time, food conditioned bears may become bold or aggressive in their attempts to obtain human food, as was the case with this bear.”
Once that happens, hazing and “aversive conditioning” are usually unsuccessful in reversing the grizzly’s bold or aggressive behavior. So officials don’t relocate food-conditioned bears “due to human safety concerns,” officials said.
On Monday, July 17, another grizzly that had “several conflicts with people” was also captured and euthanized near Hungry Horse Reservoir in Flathead National Forest, about 21 miles southwest of Glacier, McClatchy News previously reported.
To help prevent grizzlies from becoming conditioned to human food, park visitors should avoid stopping along roads when bears are nearby, secure all food and garbage, and report all bear sightings to the nearest ranger.
“It may be a cliché; however, more often than not, ‘a fed bear is a dead bear’,” officials said.
While camping, remember to:
- Keep your camp clean and make sure food is stored and secured properly. Don’t leave food unattended.
- Store all edible items, food containers (empty or not), cookware (clean or not), and trash (including hygiene products) in a locked vehicle, designated food locker or hung up away from your campsite, both day and night.
- Don’t throw any food or garbage into pit toilets.
- Look out for signs of bears and for “careless campers” near your campsite, and notify park staff of any potential problems.
