A 72-year-old man in Montana shot and killed a grizzly bear after it attacked him while he was picking huckleberries on national forest land. The man was hospitalized with significant injuries, and it is believed the bear was acting defensively to protect her cubs. Wildlife workers are monitoring the area to determine if there are cubs present and if they should be captured or left in the wild based on their age for survival.
In a separate incident, a different adult female grizzly was shot and killed by Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff near Gardiner after it had become accustomed to seeking food from people and breaking into houses. The bear was killed in the Yellowstone River area due to the danger it posed to residents. Grizzly bears are known to cause problems when food sources such as pet food, garbage, and barbecue grills are left outside and accessible to them.
Grizzly bears in the contiguous U.S. are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and there are efforts to lift their protected status in order to potentially allow future hunting. Montana has an estimated 2,000 grizzlies roaming within the state, along with more in Wyoming, Idaho, the Canadian Rockies, and Alaska. Wildlife managers take measures to capture and move problematic bears but will kill those involved in predatory attacks on people or those likely to continue causing issues.
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