The Wyoming Game and Fish Department euthanized a black bear in Evanston on June 3 after the bear received multiple food rewards and showed little fear of human presence. Human safety is Game and Fish’s priority and relocating a bear that is habituated to humans would only move a high risk bear to another location.
Several residents of the Grass Valley area sighted and reported the bear on May 30. It had tipped multiple garbage cans and fed on the contents. Over the next several days, the bear was briefly seen wandering residential areas in Evanston and continued to feed from trash containers. On the morning of June 3, the bear was seen pulling planks of fencing from a residence and then climbing through the fence. Several juveniles who were in a tent in a back yard then witnessed the bear climbing another fence into the neighbor’s yard.
The key to preventing conflicts with bears is to prevent bears from becoming food conditioned by securing attractants like human food, pet and livestock foods, garbage, or bird seed. If a bear is frequenting your property or is exhibiting unnatural behaviors, report it to the nearest Game and Fish office, local game warden or wildlife biologist, or Game and Fish dispatch at 1-877-WGFD-TIP. The Wyoming Game and Fish Green River Region Office number is (307) 875-3223.
For more detailed safety tips and videos see below and visit the Game and Fish Bear Wise page at http://bit.ly/bearwisewy