One of Grizzly 399’s Four Cubs Killed for Human Habituation
Written by Andrew-Rossi on July 15, 2022
A famous grizzly is gone.
Yesterday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that Grizzly 1057, an offspring of Grizzly 399, was euthanized on July 12. Wyoming Game and Fish requested authorization to remove the grizzly following 13 documented conflicts since May.
Grizzly 399 became the most famous bear in the world when she successfully reared four cubs and all five bears parted ways at the beginning of this spring. However, even before “the break up,” there were concerns about how Grizzly 399’s cubs would fare once they were on their own, as they had become habituated to human environments.
In an email to Buckrail, the U.S .Fish and Wildlife Service mountain Prairie region confirmed that the grizzly was showing increasingly dangerous behavior.
In one conflict, a resident attempted to haze Grizzly 1057 off their front porch with warning shots. However, the bear remained on the porch and showed no reaction.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorized the action “out of concern for human safety as this bear became more emboldened in its behavior while seeking food rewards and habituation to the presence of humans.”
And when bears become this conditioned to humans and their food, management options are limited . . .
