Grizzly bear relocated to Togwotee Pass
by Wyoming Game & Fish
August 15, 2006
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bridger-Teton National Forest, trapped and relocated an adult female grizzly bear on August 13, 2006.
The sow was frequenting a residential area and had been attracted to and feeding upon apple trees. She was trapped on private land on the Lower Southfork of the Shoshone River and relocated to the Black Rock creek drainage, two and one-half miles north west of Togwotee Pass. The release site is located within currently occupied grizzly bear habitat and the Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone.
Grizzly bear relocation is a management tool afforded bear management officers to minimize conflicts between humans and grizzlies. The decision to relocate and the selection of a relocation site is made in close consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the appropriate land management agency to minimize the chance of future conflicts and maximize the survival potential of the relocated grizzlies. Bears are relocated in accordance with federal laws, regulations and policy.
Bears can become a nuisance after they have obtained food rewards. The Department continues to stress the importance of keeping all attractants (food items, horse feeds, bird seed and others) unavailable to bears. Reducing attractants reduces the human-bear conflicts.
When selecting a relocation site, the Department makes every consideration to minimize potential conflicts with livestock and people.
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