8th Grizzly Released in the Bighorn Basin in Summer 2021
Written by Andrew-Rossi on September 2, 2021
Thanks to another relocation in the Bighorn Basin, there’s a new grizzly bear for each mile of the Fivemile Creek drainage in Shoshone National Forest.
After consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has captured and relocated yet another grizzly to the Bighorn Basin this summer. And, once again, the bear was released in a remote location in Shoshone National Forest.
The bear in question – an adult female – was captured for cattle depredation on a grazing allotment near Dubois. In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, the grizzly was released in Shoshone National Forest, 47 miles west of Cody and five miles east of the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
Courtesy Wyoming Game and Fish
This is the eighth grizzly relocated to the Bighorn Basin in Summer 2021 – and the fifth released in the Fivemile Creek drainage.
Several grizzlies have already been relocated to areas within Shoshone National Forest. This grizzly is the fourth relocated out of Pinedale this summer.
- An adult male captured near Meeteetse and relocated to the Sunlight Creek drainage in mid-April.
- An adult male captured near Meeteetse and relocated to the Jojo Drainage in late April.
- A sub-adult male captured near a North Fork guest ranch and relocated to the Fox Creek drainage in late June.
- An adult male captured near Pinedale and relocated to the Fivemile Creek drainage in early July.
- A sub-adult female captured near Pinedale and relocated to the Fivemile Creek drainage in late July.
- An adult male captured near Thermopolis and relocated to the Fivemile Creek drainage in mid-August.
- A subadult female captured near Pinedale and relocated to the Fivemile Creek drainage in late August.
Noticing a pattern?
The drainage appears to be an ideal spot for relocated bears specifically involved in cattle depredation. Over the past few years, several grizzlies captured near Pinedale have been “banished” to the Fivemile Creek drainage, often due to cattle depredation. Pinedale grizzles were relocated to the same spot in 2018 and 2020.
According to Wyoming Game and Fish, the drainage is specifically chosen as a relocation site “due to the lack of human presence.” In one instance – a grizzly relocated for eating animal feed – one of the perks of the Fivemile Creek drainage was the ability to release the bear behind a closed gate.
