Last week, officials at Yellowstone National Park made the difficult decision to “lethally remove” a black bear that had become dangerous to humans. A series of incidents led Yellowstone officials to make this decision, which the park suggests it did not take lightly.
“At approximately 5 p.m. July 11, Yellowstone National Park staff lethally removed an adult female black bear following a series of concerning incidents at a backcountry campsite,” Yellowstone says in a press release. “On June 7, the bear crushed an unoccupied tent at the campsite. A few weeks later, on July 11, the bear climbed the site’s food storage pole, tore down properly stored food bags, and consumed the campers’ food.”
Once bears get a taste for human food, things can go south quickly. Yellowstone points out that bears can quickly become food-conditioned and may act aggressively or dangerously around humans.
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“The bear’s escalating behavior—including property damage and obtaining a significant food reward—posed a clear threat to visitor safety and warranted removal,” the press release says.
The park reminded the public that this is not a decision they make frequently, and the last time it happened was five years ago. In July 2020, a black bear injured campers and got into human food at a backcountry campsite.
Why Not Just Relocate the Bear?
In a social media post, Yellowstone addressed comments suggesting the park should have relocated the bear.
“For those asking, why not relocate or send the bear to a zoo? The short answer is: it doesn’t work,” Yellowstone wrote in a comment reply on Instagram. “In Yellowstone, relocating bears is not an effective long-term solution, as it is not possible to move them far enough to prevent return to the original conflict site or to ensure they won’t encounter similar conflict opportunities in the relocation area. [. . . ] In rare cases, young bears that are still dependent on their mothers can be sent to a zoo. Wild, adult bears are not candidates for rehoming in a zoo.”
See Yellowstone National Park’s full post about the black bear here:
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