BILLINGS – A 6-year-old male grizzly bear was trapped and euthanized over the weekend after killing a cow on private property south of Bearcreek in Carbon County. The depredation was one of at least two in the same area over the past week. Attempts to trap the bear at the site of the earlier depredation were unsuccessful.
Officials from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and USDA Wildlife Services investigated the depredation and set a trap after they determined that it was caused by a grizzly bear. Sunday morning they caught a grizzly bear, estimated to weigh 450 pounds, in the trap. It was determined the same bear had been captured and collared in Wyoming in 2016 after frequenting ranch buildings. In 2018, it lost its radio collar on the West Fork of Rock Creek west of Red Lodge.
After consulting with officials from FWP and Wildlife Services, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allowed the bear to be euthanized.
Media contact: Bob Gibson, 406-247-2950, bgibson@mt.gov
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