Black bear euthanized in Story

A two-year-old male black bear has been euthanized in Story after reportedly receiving repeated food rewards at residences and business for several weeks.

According to a news release from Wyoming Game and Fish, the incident happened on the morning of Oct. 23.

According to the release, Sheridan Game Warden Ryan Kenneda received a call on Oct. 2 about a bear entering a garage and chicken coop. A trap was set for two days, but attempts to capture the bear were unsuccessful. On Oct. 14, the bear reportedly got into trash at a ranch outside Story. Kenneda visited with the ranch owner, and the dumpster was later secured, but the bear returned on Oct. 17.

On Oct. 19, a resident reported the bear on a porch on Mitchell Drive. The animal was also reported getting into a chicken coop and unsecured garbage.

On Oct. 22, Kenneda received a complaint of a bear between Robertson Road and Cottage Lane. He found the bear breaking into a trash bin on Ponderosa Drive. He hazed the animal and it traveled to the North Piney Creek area.

On Oct. 23, the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of the bear getting into trash on Loucks Street in Story. The sheriff’s office contacted Kenneda, and he authorized euthanizing the bear at around 8:45 a.m.

Kenneda said because of the bear’s history of accessing unsecured residential and commercial garbage, there were no other management options for the situation. He said attempts to trap and move or haze the bear out of the area were unsuccessful, and because food was accessible in several areas of town, the animal had strong motivation to continue frequenting the area.

He said Wyoming Game and Fish is always concerned about human safety when bears become habituated to a situation.

He said due to the number of reports received, and after visiting with residents, he thinks it likely that a second bear is still in the area. He asks residents and businesses to secure their garbage, dumpsters and other attractants and keep them unavailable to bears for a few more weeks until the animals enter their dens for the winter.