Grizzly Bear Relocated To Area Near Yellowstone NP

After consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department relocated a subadult male grizzly bear on July 8, 2022.

The bear was captured for cattle depredation on public lands and relocated to the Five Mile drainage approximately 5 miles from the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park. 

Bears are relocated in accordance with state and federal law and regulation.

Game and Fish is required to notify the media whenever a grizzly bear is relocated. 

Bears that are considered a threat to human safety are NOT relocated.

Grizzly bear relocation is a management tool afforded to large carnivore biologists to minimize conflicts between humans and grizzly bears and is critical to the management of the population.

When other options are exhausted or unattainable, Game and Fish will attempt to capture the bear.

Once the animal is captured, all circumstances are taken into account when determining if the bear should be relocated or removed from the population.

If relocation is warranted, the selection of a relocation site is determined by taking into consideration the age, sex, and type of conflict the bear was involved in as well as potential human activity in the vicinity of the relocation site.

This particular site was chosen due to the lack of human presence.

Consultation with the appropriate personnel and agencies occurs to minimize the chance of future conflicts and maximize the survival potential of the relocated grizzly bear.

Bears that are deemed an immediate threat to human safety are not released back into the wild. 

Bears are relocated in accordance with state and federal law and regulation.

Game and Fish continues to stress the importance of the public’s responsibility in bear management and the importance of keeping all attractants (food items, garbage, horse feed, bird seed, etc.) unavailable to bears.

Reducing attractants available to bears reduces human-bear conflicts.