Grizzlies euthanized in Teton Valley

A grizzly bear and her cubs were euthanized near Tetonia last week.

On November 9th and 10th, officials at the Idaho Fish and Game put down a sow grizzly and two cubs who had become habituated to areas near homes in the Tetonia area.

Because there were no relocation sites available in Idaho and because of consistent habituation and potential for human risk, Fish and Game officials and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined these bears should be removed from the population.

The bears first came onto the radar this fall in the Mammoth Hot Springs area of Yellowstone where they frequently displayed signs of habituation to developed residential areas. Then the grizzlies showed up in Gardiner, spending much of their time foraging near homes. 

On October 17, the bears were relocated south of West Yellowstone. A GPS collar placed on the sow showed the bears moved south making their way through Wyoming and Idaho before spending the last several weeks in the rural residential areas east of Tetonia.

Idaho Fish and Game personnel kept tabs on the bears since they first arrived in the Tetonia area on October 28. They canvassed neighborhoods to make them aware of the grizzlies.

Staff also provided information on the proper storage of attractants to prevent the bears from gaining human food rewards from trash or other unnatural sources.

Idaho Fish and Game officials consulted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine the outcome for the bears.
NPS photo