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FWP Responds To Grizzly Activity In The Flathead Valley

Grizzly bear track.
Jim Peaco (PD)
Grizzly bear track.

FWP Responds To Grizzly Activity In The Flathead Valley

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks responded to a report of a dead grizzly bear in the Coram area of Flathead County on Saturday. The male grizzly bear was estimated to be approximately two and a half years old. More details have not been released while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting an investigation into the death.

Montana FWP also captured two grizzly bears without prior conflicts last week northwest of Columbia Falls and in Conrad. One of the bears attempted to eat chicken feed near a residence, and the other was seen in town and on a golf course.

FWP Spokesman Dillon Tabish says the removals followed agency protocols.

"Human safety is obviously a priority, and so if that bear is showing that it is not afraid of humans or it is not reacting negatively to being kept away from residences, we will not tolerate that behavior and that bear would be removed," Tabish says.

Both bears were outfitted with radio collars and relocated to a remote location in the North Fork of the Flathead.

Copyright 2020 Montana Public Radio. To see more, visit Montana Public Radio.

Maxine is a UM Journalism School graduate student working on Montana news for MTPR.