Two grizzly bears frequenting Whitefish neighborhoods relocated
A grizzly bear eats from a cherry tree on Dakota Avenue in Whitefish on Tuesday morning.
Two grizzly bears that had been wandering in town and south of Whitefish earlier this week were relocated near the Canadian border on Thursday.
One grizzly was hanging around a cherry tree on Dakota Avenue and the second was getting into garbage near Blanchard Lake. Neither grizzly had previously required management actions, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Both were relocated to near Frozen Lake.
A young grizzly began frequenting the Dakota Avenue neighborhood Tuesday and was spotted several more times near the Wildwood Condos and the Lodge at Whitefish Lake. The bear was spotted in and near a cherry tree.
Tim Manley, FWP’s grizzly bear management specialist, set a trap in the late morning near the cherry tree and the bear was captured about noon the next day.
It was an unmarked, 2-year-old male that weighed 158 pounds, according to Manley. The bear was released on Thursday.
The second grizzly bear had gotten into dog food and garbage in the Blanchard Lake area. The bear was captured south of the lake in the early morning on Wednesday and later released.
It is an unmarked, 4-year-old male, weighing 245 pounds, according to Manley.
Both bears were fitted with GPS satellite collars before being released near Frozen Lake on the Montana and British Columbia border.
Manley said some grizzly bears are staying in the valley bottom to feed on serviceberry and hawthorn berries. Fruit trees also have apples, plums, and pears that are ripening up right now. Residents should pick their fruit as soon as possible and also make sure other attractants such as garbage, pet food and bird feeders are not available, according to FWP.