Idaho Department of Fish and Game euthanized two Island Park-area grizzly bears that had become habituated to human food and residential areas, the agency said in a news release Saturday.
The bears, an adult female and her male yearling cub, were captured and euthanized Saturday after pursuing food from human sources numerous times in recent years.
Fish and Game said the female grizzly was captured and relocated in 2020 over “multiple food-related conflicts.” In 2021, after the female bear had her cub, the pair were involved in several similar incidents. Again this spring, the two bears sought food from human sources.
Fish and Game said the bears had found food on porches, in vehicles and in unsecured garbage cans and quickly began to associate humans and residential areas with food.
“Food-conditioned bears can rapidly lose their fear of humans, resulting in bears approaching people and ultimately putting the lives of both humans and bears at risk,” the Fish and Game release said.
Residents and visitors in the Island Park area are urged to use caution with food sources and keep garbage cans locked up.
