Montana Grizzly Bear Euthanized After Killing Cattle

A grizzly bear in Montana has been euthanized by wildlife officials after it was believed to have killed five cattle in the past year.

On April 23, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) euthanized a sub-adult male grizzly bear in the Helmville Valley after reports of multiple livestock depredations.

The grizzly bear was captured by USDA Wildlife Services after killing a calf on April 20 and another calf prior to that. The same bear is believed to have been responsible for three other livestock depredations near the same area last year.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service advised FWP to euthanize the bear because of its history with livestock depredations. The decision was also in accordance with Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee guidelines.

Montana Grizzly Bears Previously Killing Cattle

This is not the first time that a grizzly bear killed livestock in Montana. In June 2017, two sub-adult male bears were captured and euthanized after killing cattle near Stanford, the farthest east that grizzlies had been seen in 100 years.

Last June, an adult male bear was euthanized in southcentral Montana after killing at least four cattle. That area of the state has seen more grizzly activity due to its close proximity to Yellowstone National Park. Then in October, a grizzly killed a calf on a ranch near Two Dot after the bear had ventured out of its traditional territory.

Grizzly bears are still listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. For a short time grizzlies were temporarily delisted last year. Protections for grizzly bears was reinstated by a federal judge in September, halting what would have been the first grizzly hunts in the Lower 48 states since 1991.