Officials euthanize grizzly after sheep killed
FILE - This July 6, 2011 file photo shows a grizzly bear roaming near Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Federal officials will propose on Thursday, March 3, 2016, to lift Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park, opening the door to state-sponsored hunting of the animals following their decades-long recovery from widespread extermination.(AP Photo/Jim Urquhart, File)
COPELAND — Federal and state wildlife officials have euthanized a relocated adult grizzly bear in Boundary County after it killed seven sheep before it could be relocated a second time, the Idaho Department of Fish & Game announced on Monday.
Fish & Game conservation officers killed the 240-pound male grizzly near Copeland on Saturday in a joint effort with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The bruin killed seven sheep across two different ranches in the same week, according to Fish & Game.
Conservation officers responded on May 29 to a private landowner’s report that five sheep had been killed overnight. On May 31, a new report came in which stated that two lambs were killed 8 miles south of the first ranch, Fish & Game said in a news release.
Officers credited citizens’ timely reporting of the incident, which enabled a swift response and avoiding additional conflicts with livestock producers and area residents, said Fish & Game spokeswoman Kiira Siitari.
“The grizzly was the same bear captured in Garwood the summer 2018 and relocated to the Cabinet Mountains near the Idaho/Montana border. The bear had a history of harassing livestock and raiding orchards prior to the sheep depredations,” Siitari said.
Upon its capture in 2018, the grizzly was fitted with a GPS collar, data from which was used to confirm the bear’s depredation history and proximity to towns and residences.
Grizzly bears in northern Boundary County are hardly a rarity. There are an estimated 70-80 bears living int he adjacent Selkirk Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone, which covers parts of Idaho, Washington and British.
Nevertheless, grizzly bear conflicts with livestock in the are relatively uncommon.
“The last reported incident in Idaho occurred over five years ago,” said Siitari.
Grizzly bears in northern 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.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.