Game and Fish Says Number of Grizzly Encounters Not Unusual

Northwest Wyoming has seen a number of human encounters with grizzly bears this year – and according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, that’s not unusual.
According to data gathered by the Game and Fish Department, there have been at least 13 bear-human conflicts this fall, with some resulting in humans being injured and others where bears were killed. In total, there have been seven grizzly bears shot and four people injured.
But officials with the Game and Fish Department say these numbers are not out of range of past events. However, there are also more bears in the Greater Yellowstone Area now than there have been in many decades. The conservative population estimate inside the Demographic Monitoring Area is 690 bears.
Brian Nesvik, chief game warden for Game and Fish, said that continuing to reduce conflict is a priority for Game and Fish and can be done efficiently with grizzly bears under state management. He adds that their department wants to talk more about issues involving grizzly bears, now that they have taken over management of the animals. The State of Wyoming spent well over $45 million on grizzly bear recovery and management while the species was on the endangered species list.