JACKSON, Wyo. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is encouraging residents to secure attractants around their homes and store all garbage within bear-resistant containers.
Attractants include items with a sent such as trash, livestock feed, compost and beehives.
“The public can make a difference in a bear’s life by continuing to do its part by ensuring bears never obtain food rewards, whether you call the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem home or are just passing through,” said USFWS, this morning in a press release.
The Service confirmed that Grizzly 399 and her offspring have left Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). Her movement south is much earlier than in past years. Last summer she was spotted outside of the park in early August.
The famous family emerged from hibernation last week and was spotted for the first time on April 16.
Grizzly bear populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have expanded in recent years, which causes an expansion in their territory. “All of Teton County is now in occupied grizzly bear habitat,” according to an April 18 press release from GTNP.
During the last two years, grizzly bear 399 and her cubs spent a significant amount of time near residential areas and received numerous food rewards.
USFWS shared the historical context of 399 and human interactions. “She is habituated and generally, but not always, displays little reaction to human presence.”
- 2007: Grizzly bear 399 was involved in a human-bear conflict when she mauled a hiker in GTNP after she and her three yearling cubs were feeding on an elk carcass and were surprised by a hiker near Jackson Lake Lodge. The hiker was bitten on the buttocks, and the encounter was classified as “defensive.” No management action was taken.
- 2008 – 2011: Two conflicts were documented for grizzly bear 399, including accessing unsecured trash at a campsite and obtaining birdseed at a residence.
- 2012 – 2019: No conflicts were documented for grizzly bear 399 during these years. She was frequently observed from roadways within GTNP while raising several litters of cubs. Her roadside presence was met with significant crowds of wildlife watchers.
- 2020-2021: During the fall of 2020 and 2021, grizzly bear 399 and her four cubs gained access to unsecured beehives, compost, and livestock grain on multiple occasions (five in 2020 and seventeen in 2021). The frequency of food rewards increased considerably during Fall 2021 and included two incidents involving the family group accessing unsecured garbage. On November 9, 2021, the five bears walked through downtown Jackson.
According to USFWS, data and experience have demonstrated that bears who have learned to associate people with a food source often repeat the behavior. Young bears have a higher potential to become increasingly emboldened in seeking out foods in and around human development, especially if they have learned to acquire food there in the past. When this food-conditioned behavior occurs, management options for bear and human safety become limited.
“Although we hope to prevent these young bears from coming into conflict with people, the potential for conflict is very high,” USFWS said in a April 6 press release.
