Rangers kill troublesome black bear at Two Medicine
Glacier National Park Rangers killed a black bear from the Two Medicine area on July 18 after it reportedly exhibited food-conditioned behavior on several occasions — including charging a picnicking family.
According to Park officials, the black bear approached a family that was eating at a picnic table at the Two Medicine Picnic Area on July 17. The family yelled and clapped hands to frighten the bear away, but it charged the table, forcing the family to retreat to their vehicle.
The 5-year-old, 225-pound male bear consumed the family’s food and left after a Park ranger repeatedly fired rubber bullets and bean bags at it.
The same black bear was observed earlier digging in a fire pit and didn’t seem bothered by human presence. The bear had been seen on and near trails along the Two Medicine Lake shore, forcing some trail closures in the area.
Park officials determined the bear to be food-conditioned and a threat to human safety. Killing such a bear is consistent with the Park’s bear management plan. Food-conditioned bears are not relocated due to human safety concerns, and black bears are not good candidates for zoos or animal parks because of their plentiful numbers.
Visitors to Glacier Park are reminded to keep campgrounds and developed areas clean and free of food and trash. Regulations require that all edibles, food containers and cookware be stored in a hard-side vehicle or food locker when not in use, day or night. All trash should be disposed of in bear-proof containers and not burned in fire rings.
In other bear news:
• A grizzly bear with a radio collar seen wandering through the Silverbrook Estates subdivision north of Kalispell on the evening of July 21 kept police busy for about an hour. At one point, the bear was within 100 yards of the officers, but it continued to saunter through the area and caused no problems.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks grizzly bear management specialist Tim Manley had been trying to catch the same bear for several days since it was first reported around Smith Lake on July 18. He was unable to pick up a signal from the collar and suspected the battery was dead.
Manley said he would continue to pursue the bear before it got into trouble somewhere in its wanderings in the built-up areas of Flathead Valley.
• FWP personnel relocated a 2-to-3 year old male grizzly bear to the Whale Creek drainage up the North Fork on July 16.
The 220-pound bear was captured on the Blackfeet Reservation by Blackfeet tribal biologists at the site of a calf depredation near the Canada border.
The bear had no previous history of conflicts. The grizzly was fitted with a radio collar and will be monitored by FWP bear biologists.