Grizzly bears attacking more livestock

Growing numbers of grizzly bears venturing east from the Rocky Mountains are attacking more domestic cattle and sheep. Montana's livestock-loss program has reimbursed ranchers for 42 animals killed by grizzlies so far this year — eight more than in all of 2014. That total does not include the 22 cattle lost this year to bears that have not yet been claimed. One report came from as far east as Floweree, Mont., about 100 miles northeast of Helena, George Edwards of the Montana Livestock Loss Board said Tuesday. Montana's Northern Rockies Wildlife Manager Graham Taylor said measures taken during the last few years to electrify fences and fortify food storage have helped to reduce the number of bear-livestock conflicts in parts of Montana despite a growing number of grizzlies. But other state and federal officials say that trend doesn't hold true for ranches surrounding the grizzly population in the Yellowstone National Park region of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Idaho officials did not return calls for comment Tuesday. Yellowstone sees most of Wyming's grizzly-livestock interactions, DeBolt said. Conflicts have ranged from 77 reports in 2011 and 135 in 2012 to 113 in 2013. The state recorded 130 grizzly encounters with livestock in 2014 and, although Wyoming has used similar mitigation tactics as Montana, DeBolt said he expects an increase this year. "We've made headway, but overall it's increasing and I think it's more of a function of bear numbers and distribution," DeBolt said.  Scientists estimate about 1,000 grizzlies live in Yellowstone and another 1,000 live in the northern Rockies...more