‘We’re city cops!’: Fish and Game relocate bear from Nampa. Is this common?
Treasure Valley first responders this weekend had an unusual call for a critter in a tree: a black bear near Nampa’s Centennial Golf Course.
The bear, which callers reported to Canyon County emergency dispatch on Sunday afternoon, was near Franklin Boulevard and Birch Lane, according to Nampa Police Department spokesperson Carmen Boeger. In a post on social media, the Nampa Police Department said first responders were “skeptical” but confirmed the report and found the bear.
“So we called on some friends to help us out; after all, we’re city cops!” the post said.
The post and an accompanying video showed Nampa Fire Department and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game responded to help tranquilize the bear and relocate it “far, far away from Nampa,” according to the police department.
In an email, Fish and Game Southwest Region spokesperson Brian Pearson told the Idaho Statesman that the bear was a yearling male and was relocated north of Ola, about an hour’s drive north of Boise.
“This bear was a yearling that was probably recently kicked off by a sow, and it was trying to figure out how to make it on its own,” Pearson said in the email. “It hadn’t been causing any issues or conflicts that we were aware of, was not food-conditioned and very clearly had an appropriate fear of humans, all of which factored into the decision to relocate it.”
Video shared on social media showed firefighters and Fish and Game officers underneath a conifer tree with fabric spread out to catch the tranquilized animal, which slowly fell from the tree.
How often are black bears in Boise?
Black bears are widespread across the majority of Idaho, according to Fish and Game, including most of Ada County. According to a 2019 article from the agency, black bears number between 20,000 and 30,000 in Idaho. Pearson noted that “all of Idaho is bear habitat.”
Pearson said Fish and Game’s Southwest Region has received more reports of bears in towns this year than usual, and earlier than usual. He said that could be a result of drought conditions and could persist later into the year, as experts are expecting poor berry yields — a key staple in bear diets — in their typical habitat.
The Nampa Police Department noted that the call was especially unusual for its officers, and Pearson said it’s not one Fish and Game deals with frequently either.
“It’s not an everyday, or even yearly, occurrence for a bear to end up roaming a Treasure Valley neighborhood,” Pearson said.
Pearson said it had been some time since Fish and Game had to remove a bear from the Boise metro area, “and it’s even rarer for us to relocate one. Often, euthanizing a bear in town is our only option.”
Pearson said that by the time Fish and Game hears about bears in highly populated areas, the animals have “been causing problems for a while, have been receiving food rewards from human sources and have lost an appropriate fear of people.”
“It would be a recipe for continued conflicts with people, and a potential public safety risk, if we were to relocate a bear in those circumstances,” he said. “Even when those circumstances are absent, chemically immobilizing and attempting to relocate any large animals poses potential risks to the public, the animal and our staff.”
Pearson said any bear problems should be promptly reported to Fish and Game, as early interventions can increase the chances that the agency can remove the bear by nonlethal methods. He said residents should minimize potential bear attractants by feeding pets indoors; removing bird feeders between April and mid-November; keeping coolers, fridges and freezers indoors; and waiting until the day of scheduled trash pickup to set out trash bins.
“I think it’s going to be particularly important this year for folks to remember that, and as we get into summer and early fall, residents should think about adjusting some of their behaviors to ensure they don’t give bears that wander into town any incentives to stick around,” Pearson said.
