Garbage Grabbing Grizzly Gets Relocated From Seeley Lake

Many times these stories end with the animal being euthanized due to being a habitual offender.

Fortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case here. And the folks in Seeley Lake can hopefully rest a little easier with one less big grizzly bear checking out their garbage cans. But there are still risks of others with the same habit.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks tells us that officials captured and relocated a male grizzly bear in Seeley Lake late last week after repeated incidents of pursuing garbage and other attractants at campgrounds and home sites in the area. The bear did not have a prior history of conflicts and was collared and relocated to a remote area in the Whitefish Mountain Range in northwest Montana.

But FWP also confirmed there are still other bears in the Seeley Lake area, currently seeking out garbage and other food sources around homes and recreation areas. The area has a history of regular bear activity that has picked up in recent years.  FWP stresses that securing attractants—such as garbage-- has become increasingly important for people and bears. Once bears are exposed to these attractants, it is hard to break the pattern and they must be relocated or sometimes euthanized. Keeping attractants out of a bear’s reach in our neighborhoods and recreation areas is the best way to prevent conflicts.

Store garbage indoors or inside a bear resistant container; pick fruit as soon as it is ripe; consider using electric fencing around chickens, garden areas and compost piles; and move other attractants such as pet food and barbecue grills into a secure building when not in use.

"Bear Aware" and all, right?