JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — After consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured and relocated a sub-adult female grizzly bear on July 31.
The bear was not involved in a conflict, but was captured while mitigating cattle depredation north of Pinedale. Therefore, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the bear was relocated to the Buffalo Fork river drainage approximately 12 miles east of Moran.
Bears that are considered a threat to human safety are never relocated. Grizzly bear relocation is a management tool afforded to large carnivore biologists to minimize conflicts between humans and grizzly bears and is critical to the management of the population. When other options are exhausted or unattainable, Game and Fish will attempt to capture the bear.
Once the animal is captured, all circumstances are taken into account when determining if the individual should be relocated or removed from the population. If relocation is warranted, the selection of a relocation site is determined taking into consideration the age, sex, and type of conflict the bear was involved in as well as potential human activity in the vicinity of the relocation site.
This particular site was chosen due to the lack of human presence. Consultation with the appropriate personnel and agencies occurs to minimize the chance of future conflicts and maximize the survival potential of the relocated grizzly bear. Bears that are deemed an immediate threat to human safety are not released back into the wild.
