Young grizzly relocated to the Cabinets

A 3-year-old sub-adult male grizzly bear captured in Coal Creek in the Whitefish Range has been relocated by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to the Cabinet Range to augment grizzly bear populations there.

The bear has no history of conflict with humans and has never been captured. It was released above Spar Lake in the Kootenai National Forest.

The program is an on-going cooperative effort between FWP and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to boost and recover the grizzly bear population in the Cabinet Range. This is the 11th grizzly bear in the program to be released in the Cabinets since 2005.

Under the program, FWP captures bears in backcountry areas of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and FWS monitors the animals after their release in the Cabinets.

All grizzlies relocated to the Cabinets are monitored with a radio collar until their collars drop off. The collars utilize the global positioning system to record locations every few hours to follow the bear’s movements.

For more information, contact Kim Annis, Libby area wildlife management specialist, at 291-1320.