A problem bear with a history of aggressive behavior was recently captured and killed by National Park Service biologists near Heart Lake in the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The latest incident occurred in late August and the immature, male grizzly was killed September 8th, according to Park officials. They say the bear was repeatedly involved in conflicts with humans.

The grizzly began exhibiting "bold behavior" around people in 2015.  Wyoming Game and Fish personnel captured the bear, tagged it, and relocated it to the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Here's what happened after that, according to Yellowstone officials:

"In 2016, the same bear entered campsites in the Heart Lake area of Yellowstone and destroyed backpackers’ tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads. National Park Service staff attempted to change the bear’s dangerous behavior through the use of electric decoy tents, electric food sack decoys, and by hazing with bean bag rounds, rubber bullets, and cracker shells. These efforts failed. Attempts to trap the bear also failed.

 

Hikers reported observing the bear around campsites and investigating tents in the Heart Lake area in 2017. On the evening of August 26th, the bear forced a group of three backpackers out of their campsite near Heart Lake and consumed all of their food. In response, Yellowstone closed the area to backcountry camping on August 27 and set traps for the bear on September 1. The bear was captured and killed on the morning of September 8th."

Park officials say this incident serves as an unfortunate reminder that "a fed bear is a dead bear," and allowing bears to access human food, even one time, often leads to them becoming aggressive toward people. You can learn more about what you can do to keep both bears and people safe at go.nps.gov/yellbearsafety.

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