Montana wildlife officials euthanized 14 black bears near Bozeman in September after determining the animals posed a public safety risk. ( ) Montana state officials euthanized 14 black bears at a property in Bozeman in September after wildlife wardens found the animals had become so accustomed to human food that they posed a public safety risk. According to a September 29 announcement from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), staff responded to a report of suspected illegal bear feeding at a residence north of Bozeman. During their investigation on September 24 and 25, officials found 15 bears that were severely food-conditioned and habituated to humans.
Fourteen of the bears were captured and euthanized, while one cub was transported to Montana FWP’s Montana WILD facility in Helena for possible placement at an accredited zoo. The number of animals involved was highly unusual, according to Morgan Jacobsen, communications and education program manager at Montana FWP. Jacobsen told Outside that the investigation remains ongoing and officials have yet to determine how long the alleged feeding occurred, what the bears were eating, or why whether or not the feeding was intentional.
It involves the possibility of deliberate feeding,” Jacobsen said. Montana law prohibits intentionally providing supplemental food to bears. The investigation into what happened at the Bozeman property remains ongoing, and officials have not publicly identified anyone responsible for the alleged feeding.
What officials have established is that the bears were severely food-conditioned, meaning they had learned to associate people with an easy meal. And according to Chris Servheen, president of the Montana Wildlife Federation, who spent 35 years as the grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it doesn’t take much for a bear to remember where it found food.
When food remains available, bears may begin regularly visiting the property and eventually seeking food around other nearby homes. Black bears regularly move through Bozeman and other Montana communities without causing problems, but wildlife managers become concerned when the animals repeatedly find food around people. What begins with a bear tipping over a garbage can can eventually escalate to damaged property or attempts to enter vehicles, garages, and homes.
Bears seeking human food can also become aggressive toward people, although Montana FWP has not reported any attacks involving the 14 bears euthanized near Bozeman. In this incident, Jacobsen said the bears showed no fear of humans, no longer foraged, and caused property damage. Their behavior had become so established that wildlife managers determined they could not safely be returned to the wild.
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