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Last week, Wyoming Game and Fish relocated a grizzly bear from near Wilson — the first from the Jackson area this year.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service and Shoshone National Forest moved the young male bear to the Camp Creek drainage, an area 30 miles northwest of Cody.
Wyoming Game and Fish said the Grizzly bear was frequenting local private lands on multiple occasions, prompting calls from concerned residents.
Mike Boyce, a large carnivore biologist with Wyoming Game and Fish, said that the potential for conflict with people and livestock had become high after the bear got caught up with livestock feed this spring, spurring the effort to initiate the bear’s relocation.
“We use relocation as a tool to prevent conflict between the bears and people. It is a way that we are able to preempt having issues with these bears,” Boyce said. “It really gives them the best chance at surviving on their own.”
Boyce added that these preemptive measures — such as relocations away from private or residential land — aren’t uncommon, and routinely happen across the state each year.
Wyoming Game & Fish stress the public’s role in helping out with bear management. According to their guidance, keeping food, garbage, horse feed and bird seed secured is vital to reduce human-bear conflicts.
