A 4-year-old female black bear in Glacier National Park had to be euthanized, and another black bear and her cub could face a similar fate, due to exposure to human food.
The bear that was put down was relocated from the nearby town of Kalispell in 2022. Last year, she was spotted in the West Glacier area of the national park. Spotted again this year, the bear was observed to have an increase in "food-conditioned behavior" and aggressively tried to enter vehicles and buildings on private property inside the park. Eventually the bear got into at least one building and a vehicle and on June 5 was euthanized in West Glacier.
Two days later, a portion of Going-to-the-Sun Road open to hikers and bikers was shut down after a female black bear with a cub born this year was able to steal food from an unattended backpack. Wildlife rangers are attempting to discourage the food-seeking behavior. If they can't, both bears might have to be relocated or euthanized.
Both incidents are blamed on "human food rewards," which include any kind of food for humans or animals, trash and campsite provisions. Black bears will eat almost anything and can identify food by both smell and appearance.
Once a bear has a taste of a human food reward, it is very likely to become food conditioned and over time make bolder and more aggressive moves to acquire food from people. Food conditioned bears may learn to frequent campgrounds and picnic areas, or approach vehicles. The behavior becomes irreversible and food conditioned bears are typically euthanized because of their threat to humans.
In 2023, a grizzly bear was put down after it grabbed food from a picnic table in the Many Glacier area of the park, charged a family picnicking on the shoreline of Swiftcurrent Lake and stole beverages that were left cooling in the lake.
And earlier this year, a 400-pound grizzly was euthanized in Yellowstone National Park after flipping bear-resistant dumpsters.
People can help keep bears and themselves safe by always following these tips:
- Always keep your pack with you.
- Never leave food, garbage, or anything used to prepare, consume, store, or transport food unattended.
- Secure all food and scented items safely and pack out all garbage. Non-food scented items include things like toiletries and sunscreen.
- Don't stop near bears along a road. Travel at least 100 yards and pull over in a safe viewing location. Roadside bears quickly become use to traffic and people making them more likely to approach or get hit by a vehicle.
- Report all bear sightings to the nearest ranger.
Find more information about recreating in bear country at Bear Safety - Glacier National Park (U.S. National Park Service).
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