Idaho Woman Penalized For Not Securing Trash In Grand Teton National Park

A judge has ordered an Idaho woman to pay over $5,800 for leaving trash out that attracted a grizzly bear to her campsite in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.

Wildlife officials had to tranquilize the bear and move it by boat elsewhere in the park in the hope that tasting human food won’t make the animal a recurring danger to people.

Officials warned the bear might have to be killed if it’s involved in a similar problem again.

“Irresponsible behaviors have consequences and many times it is the wildlife that pays the ultimate price,” Grand Teton Superintendent Chip Jenkins said in a statement.

Other campers shot photos and video of the bear rummaging through garbage and drinks left unattended June 13th at the campsite by a 50-year-old woman from Parma, Idaho.

Signs at the campground warned campers to store food in vehicles or outdoor lockers to avoid attracting bears.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Carman in Mammoth Hot Springs convicted the woman of improper food storage, a misdemeanor.

The restitution he ordered would cover the cost of relocating and having to use a GPS collar to track the bear.