MILES CITY – A young male black bear that had been getting into garbage in and around Colstrip residential areas in recent days was successfully captured, tranquilized, tagged and relocated to a remote area Friday by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 7.
There has been a bit of an uptick in bear sightings recently around the region. But the mere presence of bears should not be considered an imminent threat. Bears prefer to avoid contact with humans, but when they receive frequent food rewards such as household trash, pet food and fruit, they can quickly become habituated to people. This creates a situation that, if not remedied, may mean injury to humans or death for the bear. Hence the saying, “A fed bear is a dead bear.”
The best approach to keep bears wild and prevent encounters is for people to do all they can to secure any bear attractants, such as trash, birdseed, pet food, beehives, barbecue grills, plants and vegetables, salt licks, etc. Visit the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov to learn more about Living with Wildlife.
If you see a bear in close proximity to people or livestock, please contact FWP at 406-234-0900 or call 1-800-TIP-MONT.
Photo: Acting FWP Region 7 Warden Captain Justin Feddes checks the time and dosages of tranquilizers administered to a black bear near Colstrip while Warden Tanner Mitchell enters data.
