Grizzly bear linked to fatal attack euthanized near West Yellowstone

The following is a news release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks:

WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mondana — A grizzly bear with a history of conflict with people was euthanized Saturday after breaking into a house near West Yellowstone.

Early Saturday morning, a homeowner reported a bear with a cub broke through a kitchen window of an occupied home and removed a container of dog food from inside the house.

Later that evening, staff from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and local law enforcement captured the cub, and – with authorization from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – shot the adult grizzly near the captured cub due to an immediate public safety threat from the bear’s food-conditioned behavior.

The 10-year-old female grizzly had originally been captured in 2017 for research purposes. Through genetic analysis and other identifying characteristics, staff confirmed the bear was involved in a fatal attack on a woman near West Yellowstone in July. The bear was also involved in an encounter in Idaho that injured a person near Henrys Lake State Park in Idaho in 2020.

Both incidents were evaluated carefully at the time and deemed to be defensive responses by the bear. Multiple efforts to trap and remove the bear were made after the fatal attack in July due to the incident’s proximity to residences, campgrounds, and high-use OHV trails. These efforts were unsuccessful.

The cub, a 46-pound male, is being held at FWP’s wildlife rehabilitation center in Helena while arrangements are made to transfer the cub to a zoo in the coming weeks.