BOZEMAN — Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently euthanized 14 bears near Bozeman after officials discovered the animals had become food-conditioned and habituated to humans.
“This is a really unfortunate situation,” said Morgan Jacobsen, an information officer with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “Euthanizing animals is never something we want to do.”
WATCH STORY HERE:
Jacobsen said the agency received a report earlier in September.
“We received a report from a concerned citizen who called to report alleged feeding of bears at a residence near Bozeman,” Jacobsen said.
Last week, FWP visited the property and found multiple bears that were clearly food-conditioned and habituated to human presence. They had to euthanize 14 bears.
"We were able to capture one black bear cub that is awaiting potential placement at an accredited zoo,” Jacobsen said.
The case remains under investigation. Jacobsen said penalties for intentionally feeding bears can vary.
“The penalty really depends. Montana does have a statute that prohibits providing supplemental feed to game animals, which includes bears,” Jacobsen said.
According to Montana law, a person convicted of violating the statute can be fined between $50 and $1,000, imprisoned in a county detention center for up to six months, or both.
Jacobsen said feeding bears creates long-term problems because the animals lose their natural fear of humans and continue returning to places where they find food.
“Once a bear gets habituated to finding food in residential or urban areas, that’s a behavior that can’t be rehabilitated,” Jacobsen said. “And it can’t be fixed by relocating the bear either because they just come right back to places where they found food around people.”
Jacobsen said when it comes to placing bears in zoos?
“That is sometimes an option, but it is a very limited option and not always available,” he said.
One cub was sent to FWP’s Montana WILD facility in Helena for potential placement.
Jacobsen said preventing future bear euthanizations starts with education.
“FWP has a lot of educational programs to help people understand, ‘How can we avoid conflicts with wildlife in the first place?’” Jacobsen said.
He added that when bears are euthanized, some parts of the animals can be used for educational purposes, while the remaining carcasses are disposed of safely.
To check out FWP's education opportunities, visit this link: https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear
RELATED: 14 black bears euthanized near Bozeman after suspected illegal feeding
