A black bear was euthanized at Grand Teton National Park after repeated encounters with visitors and human food left the animal increasingly comfortable approaching people.
Park wildlife staff killed the bear Sept. 11 in the Delta Lake area after monitoring what officials called a concerning pattern of behavior involving both the bear and visitors.
The park said the bear had received multiple food rewards from people and repeatedly approached visitors. Staff found the animal unusually difficult to scare away, a sign it had become conditioned to associate humans with food.
"We need to be clear: This bear was lethally removed because of poor decisions made by park visitors," park officials said. "It is everyone's responsibility to help keep bears
wild."
Why was the bear killed?
Park staff had received several reports earlier this year of a black bear approaching visitors near Delta Lake. At the time, officials said there was not enough information to determine whether the behavior was an emerging food-conditioning problem or a series of isolated incidents.
The situation escalated last week, when the bear received multiple food rewards and continued approaching people. Several visitors received citations for approaching wildlife or violating food-storage requirements, according to the park.
Wildlife staff increased their monitoring and determined the bear's behavior had become consistent with food conditioning. Park managers said the combination of repeated food rewards and the bear's increasing proximity to people created an unacceptable safety risk.
Because Delta Lake is in a remote backcountry area, wildlife staff used a dart to immobilize the bear before euthanizing it on site, park officials reported. Its carcass was flown out the following morning.
Why wasn't the bear relocated?
Moving a bear to a new location is one option wildlife managers can use, but the park said it is not always safe or effective. Bears have strong ties to their home ranges, and finding suitable areas with enough natural food, little human activity and enough space for the bear is becoming increasingly difficult in the region, park officials said.
After considering the bear's behavior and the circumstances, wildlife managers determined that other options had been exhausted and the bear posed a clear risk to human safety, the park said. Officials emphasized that lethal removal is a last resort.
How can visitors help protect bears?
The park urged visitors to never leave food unattended, even for a moment, and to gather their food and belongings if a bear approaches.
"If you have time to grab your phone, you have time to grab your food," the park said.
A bear that receives food from people can learn that approaching humans is rewarding. The National Park Service warns that once bears become accustomed to finding food around people, changing that behavior can be difficult and can create dangerous encounters.
Grand Teton officials urged visitors to report bears approaching humans so staff can take action before the animals become food-conditioned.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Grand Teton bear killed after visitors fed, approached it
