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The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) reported an adult male black bear was euthanized in Story Oct. 12 after breaking into a secured shed near a residence.
A day earlier, a Story resident reported his shed had been broken into and damaged the night of Oct. 10 and the carcass of a freshly harvested deer was also missing, according to a WGFD press release. Suspecting a black bear, a trap was set.
WGFD personnel trapped a bear with an ear tag, identifying it as having been previously trapped for nuisance behavior in June 2018 after it had been caught accessing unsecured garbage and grills at a business in Big Horn. At that time, the bear was trapped, tagged, and relocated 30 miles away at the head of Columbus Creek in the Sawmill Flats area of the norther Bighorns.
Due to the bear’s previous nuisance complaint and evidence it was becoming more aggressive in its attempt to get food, the decision was made to euthanize it.
Sheridan Wildlife Biologist Tim Thomas said in the release that trapping and relocating a bear that has gotten human-provided food rewards is not always successful.
“As we see in cases like this, bears will sometimes continue to seek out human habitations or return to where they were captured in their search for food,” said Thomas. “We really need the public’s help to secure human-provided food rewards and prevent bear conflicts in the first place.”
He added that once a bear receives food while near humans or homes, chances of having no further conflict with that particular bear are slim.
According to WGFD, bears will be active for several more weeks before hibernation. In that time, they are seeking food to increase their body weight.
Another adult black bear was euthanized in Dayton mid-September for the same reason.
Any incident involving a bear should be reported as soon as possible to the regional office by calling (307) 672-7418.
