Food-Conditioned Grizzly Bear Trapped and Killed in Yellowstone National Park

News and Adventure from Glacier National Park

Yellowstone National Park staff trapped and killed an 11-year-old male grizzly bear on May 14 after the bear repeatedly sought out human food sources in developed areas of the park. Between April 3 and May 13, the 400-pound grizzly bear overturned several large, bear-resistant dumpsters and gained access to human food and trash near Old Faithful, the Nez Perce Picnic Area, and the Midway Geyser Basin parking lot.

In addition to developing a strategy to flip over 800-pound dumpsters, the bear also uprooted smaller bear-resistant trash cans from their concrete bases to gain access to human food and garbage. As a result, the bear became increasingly food-conditioned and posed a risk to public safety in one of the busiest areas of the park. The decision to kill the bear was made to ensure public safety and reduce the chances of other bears becoming habituated to human food.

The last grizzly bear killed in a management action in Yellowstone was in September 2017, when the park removed a grizzly bear that was damaging tents and accessing human food in backcountry campsites at Heart Lake.

“It’s unfortunate that this bear began regularly seeking out garbage and was able to defeat the park’s bear-resistant infrastructure,” said Yellowstone Bear Management Biologist Kerry Gunther. “We go to great lengths to protect bears and prevent them from becoming conditioned to human food. But occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses. When that happens, we sometimes have to remove the bear from the population to protect visitors and property.”

In accordance with Yellowstone’s bear management plan, the park provides bear-resistant food storage lockers in all campgrounds, food storage devices in all backcountry campsites, and bear-resistant garbage cans and dumpsters. Yellowstone reminds all visitors that utilizing these bear safety measures remain crucial in ensuring public safety and preventing wildlife from developing dangerous habits.

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