Grizzly euthanized in Island Park after becoming food-conditioned

ISLAND PARK — A male grizzly bear was euthanized Thursday after it reportedly became used to receiving food from people living in a nearby neighborhood, making it especially dangerous to humans.

According to a news release from Idaho Fish and Game, the grizzly began frequenting the Pinehaven area in Fremont County early last week. There, it found food in unsecured garbage cans and broke into vehicles used to store garbage.

The bear was reportedly seen many times on doorbell cameras, and tracks were seen throughout the neighborhood, showing it accessing garbage and pushing against buildings.

“Due to the bear’s consistent seeking of unnatural food and habituation to residential areas, it was captured and euthanized in the interest of human safety,” says the release.

According to Idaho Fish and Game, Island Park is home to grizzly and black bears, meaning residents and visitors who fail to properly store attractants are risking their neighbors and their animals.

“All residential garbage containers should be stored inside a garage or locked shed to prevent these types of situations from occurring,” says the release. “Garbage containers should only be put out the morning of pick-up, not the night before, and never left out in the open.”

Fish and Game recommends the use of certified bear-resistant containers and reminds residents that storing garbage in trucks or other vehicles is not a suitable storage solution and has been an ongoing problem.

“Bears are extremely adaptable and can learn very quickly to associate people with food,” says the release. “The presence of unsecured food sources of human origin, such as residential garbage, bird seed, dog food, beehives, domestic poultry, or fruit trees have long been documented as sources of human-bear conflicts.”

According to the release, food-conditioned bears can rapidly lose their fear of humans, which can lead to bears approaching people and ultimately putting the lives of both humans and bears at risk.

Grizzly bears in Idaho are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, and management actions are therefore done in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.