Haskill Basin grizzly killed

Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists decided to kill a food-conditioned male grizzly bear that was captured near Haskill Basin on Sept. 14.

Grizzly bear management specialist Tim Manley said the four-year-old, 370-pound bear had approached residences in the Whitefish area and got into cat food, broke into a chicken coop and killed chickens.

The bear was captured at Trumbull Creek in August after it broke into camper shells, smashed a window in a garage, broke into a chicken coop, and got into dog food, cat food and garbage. The bear was relocated near Frozen Lake, close to the Canada border.

The bear returned to the Whitefish/Columbia Falls area about Sept. 10. Based on the bear's level of food-conditioning and the amount of property damage it caused, officials decided to kill the bear in the interest of human safety.

Manley reminds residents that it was pet food and garbage that attracted this grizzly to inhabited homes. Residents should secure all attractants, pick ripe fruit off trees and pick up apples from the ground as they fall.

In other grizzly news, Manley said a trap was set in the Coram area for a grizzly that got into garbage in the back of a pickup truck.