CODY, Wyo. — A subadult male grizzly was captured and relocated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) yesterday, according to an announcement by the agency.
The bear was captured “at a cattle depredation site on public land in Sublette County,” WGFD’s Tuesday announcement states. It 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. WGFD noted the bear was relocated “to reduce conflict potential.”
In April, an adult male grizz was captured due to cattle depredation on private land in Park County, then released in the Wiggins Fork drainage, approximately 19 miles 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.
