Grizzly Kills Calf in Central Montana; Bears Expanding Territory

Wildlife officials have confirmed that a grizzly bear is responsible for killing a calf in central Montana. ( U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ) A grizzly bear killed a calf on a ranch in central Montana earlier this week, evidence that bears are moving further out of their territory. Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks announced that a calf was killed by a grizzly after an investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services confirmed the death was depredation by a bear. The calf was killed on a ranch near Two Dot, an area of the state where grizzlies are not common. Wildlife officials believe that the bears are expanding their territory from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem where there are established grizzly populations. Trail cameras took photos of a grizzly bear at the start of September near the Haymaker Wildlife Management Area approximately 12 miles north of the ranch. Once it was determined that a grizzly bear had killed the calf, Wildlife Services attempted to capture the bear at the depredation site. However, because of a high number of black bears in the region traps were pulled from the site on Oct. 10...MORE