Griz killed after breaking into pickup, opening fridge

A grizzly bear was euthanized Thursday by officials with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks after repeated incidents in the Canyon demonstrating it had become food-conditioned.

A press release from the state wildlife agency stated that the bear had broken into a pickup truck, opened a refrigerator kept on a porch and attempted to enter a parked camper in the Coram area this week. The agency had also received second-hand reports of a large grizzly getting food at other residences in the area, but were not contacted by the landowners.

State biologists captured the bear Wednesday night, less than an hour after a culvert trap was set. They estimated the bruin, which weighed 575 pounds, was 12 to 15 years old.

The grizzly had been previously captured Sept. 8 at another residence on Seville Lane in Coram after it broke into a chicken coop and killed chickens. Apples in its scat indicated it had been in other yards feeding on apples.

The bear was radio-collared and released in the Puzzle Creek drainage south of Marias Pass, about 40 miles from Coram. At the time, it weighed 482 pounds.

The hide and skull will be kept for educational purposes.

“The worst part of my job is having to remove a grizzly bear from the population because it has become food-conditioned and starts causing property damage,” state wildlife biologist Tim Manley said in the release. “The key to reducing human-bear conflicts is prevention. A grizzly bear doesn’t just start breaking into structures overnight to get food.”

He added that when people put out bird seed, corn for turkeys, deer blocks, garbage or pet food outside, that teaches bears to come around houses to look for food.

When they find the food, it reinforces the behavior of going to houses to look for more food. Some bears may then start testing outbuildings, barns, vehicles and chicken coops to get at food that has been stored inside. Bears that are extremely food-conditioned may even start breaking into unoccupied cabins and houses to get food.

“About 90 percent of the grizzly bear conflicts that I deal with occur on private property,” Manley continued. “If a grizzly bear shows up at your house or camp, it is because it has either gotten food at your place or at another residence. If it repeatedly shows up at your house or camp, that is because it is getting food at your place even though you might not be aware of it. Again, most human-bear conflicts can be prevented if people wouldn’t put or leave out food that attracts bears.”