A grizzly bear was shot and killed after it broke into multiple Montana homes almost every night for nearly two months — sometimes while residents were inside, wildlife officials said.
The bear, which became used to getting ahold of food when it got close to people and their homes , targeted residents in Gardiner and other nearby towns — and the frequency increased over the last three weeks, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said in a news release.
Grizzly bear specialists and game wardens searched for the bear the evening of Wednesday, July 17, officials said.
Then early Thursday morning, they got a report that a bear had broken into a home north of Gardiner, officials said. They shot and killed the bear while it was in the Yellowstone River.
“They recovered the carcass from the river Thursday afternoon and confirmed that the same bear had been involved in many recent conflicts,” officials said. “Initial reported conflicts in Gardiner began in early June, with increasing frequency over the past three weeks.”
The bear was “terrorizing” residents in Gardiner and other nearby towns for almost two months, Cowboy State Daily reported.
The large male grizzly had been “smashing house windows, breaking into vehicles and raising hell in the tiny Yellowstone gateway town of Gardiner,” Cowboy State Daily reported.
The town sits at the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Locals told the outlet “they love having grizzlies and other wild critters for neighbors” but that the bear’s “behavior escalated to an unsafe point where it likely had to be put down — and that saddens them.”
On July 1, the bear broke a window to a resident’s home “and had crawled halfway inside” when a woman drove her car at it to scare it off, the outlet reported.
The grizzly “regularly sought and obtained unsecured attractants at residences, businesses and vehicles,” officials said. That included “garbage, human food, barbecue grills and pet foods” stored in “coolers, vehicles, camp trailers, sheds, garbage cans that were not bear resistant or unlocked bear-resistant garbage cans.”
The grizzly broke into several homes in Gardiner and Maiden Basin while people were inside, and even broke into a National Park Service employee house in Mammoth, officials said.
Several property owners tried to scare off the bear to no avail, officials said. It returned to Gardiner and nearby areas “almost nightly” in search of food.
No injuries to people were reported, officials said.
Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FWP bear specialists patrolled for the bear every night, but the grizzly evaded them until Thursday, officials said.
What to do if you see a bear
Bear attacks in the U.S. are rare, according to the National Park Service. In most attacks, bears are trying to defend their food, cubs or space.
There are steps people can take to help prevent a bear encounter from becoming a bear attack.
Identify yourself: Talk calmly and slowly wave your arms. This can help the bear realize you’re a human and nonthreatening.
Stay calm: Bears usually don’t want to attack; they want to be left alone. Talk slowly and with a low voice to the bear.
Don’t scream: Screaming could trigger an attack.
Pick up small children: Don’t let kids run away from the bear. It could think they’re small prey.
Hike in groups: A group is noisier and smellier, the National Park Service said. Bears like to keep their distance from groups of people.
Make yourself look big: Move to higher ground and stand tall. Don’t make any sudden movements.
Don’t drop your bag: A bag on your back can keep a bear from accessing food, and it can provide protection.
Walk away slowly: Move sideways so you appear less threatening to the bear. This also lets you keep an eye out.
Again, don’t run: Bears will chase you, just like a dog would.
Don’t climb trees: Grizzlies and black bears can also climb.
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