Habituated Yellowstone Black Bear Euthanized

A habituated black bear was captured and euthanized by Yellowstone National Park staff on Wednesday morning.

The adult female bear had been frequenting Bridge Bay Campground, the Gull Point Picnic Area, and Lake Village.

The bear had gotten into human food, and on one occasion ripped open an occupied tent in the campground. She had also been following and approaching hikers on the nearby Elephant Back Trail.

Several times, park staff attempted to scare the bear out of the area using a shotgun to shoot bean bag round and cracker shells. Because these efforts proved unsuccessful, the decision was made to capture and euthanize the bear.

The bear was estimated to be 4-5 years old, was cinnamon in color, and weighed 100 pounds.

Visitors are reminded to keep food, garbage, barbecue grills and other attractants stored in hard-sided vehicles or bear-proof food storage boxes when not in use. This helps keep bears from becoming conditioned to human foods, and helps keep park visitors and their property safe.

Bear sightings should be reported to the nearest visitor center or ranger station as soon as possible.