CODY, Wyo. — An adult female grizzly was captured and relocated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) last week, according to an announcement by the agency.
The bear was captured for “cattle depredation on public land in Sublette County,” WGFD’s Tuesday announcement states. The bear was released in the Five Mile Creek drainage, approximately five miles away from Yellowstone National Park’s East Entrance, in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Shoshone National Forest.
This is the third grizzly capture and relocation of the summer. In June, WGFD captured a bear at a cattle depredation site in Sublette County and also released it in the Five Mile Creek drainage. In April, an adult male grizz was captured in Park County and released in the Wiggins Fork drainage north of Dubois.
According to the agency, grizzlies are relocated to prevent conflicts between bears and humans, a critical part of managing Wyoming’s growing grizzly bear population. Bears that are considered a threat to human safety are typically not relocated, and instead are removed from the population. Bears are relocated for reasons including livestock depredation, habituated roadside behavior and more.
“Grizzly bears are only relocated into the recovery zone or adjacent areas,” WGFD’s announcement states. “With any relocation, Game and Fish consults with appropriate agencies to minimize the chance of future conflicts and maximize the relocated grizzly bear’s survival.”
WGFD stresses the importance of the public’s responsibility in bear management. Wyomingites should keep all attractants (including food, trash, horse feed and bird seed) unavailable to bears. For more information on grizzly bear management and reducing the potential for conflicts, see WGFD’s Bear Wise Wyoming webpage.
