WILDLIFE -- The collared 2-year-old grizzly bear from Montana is still roaming the Coeur d'Alene River area north of Kingston. Idaho Fish and Game has been unsuccessful, as they expected, in getting the bear to take the bait and walk into a culvert trap for the second time in six weeks, so it's still in the area, clearly looking for food.
Kingston-area resident Sandy Podsaid has posted new video from two game cams on his property showing the grizzly looking for food and snooping around empty barrels that have been used previously for baiting black bears.
Area rural residents can help themselves and the grizzly by managing garbage and food for pets, livestock and bird feeders to avoid attracting the bear.
Two stories in the news remind us that allowing bears and other wildlife to get into human food can have dangerous consequences for the public and almost certain bad results for the animals.
- Culling is one of several options on the table for dealing with aggressive mountain goats on Scotchman Peak.
- A black bear in Glacier National Park was euthanized by rangers last week because it had developed a habit of visiting the Lake McDonald Lodge area for food.
The bear revisited the area despite repeated attempts by park rangers to haze the bear away from the area with rubber bullets and bean bag rounds.
On Sept. 10th, the bear was observed peering into windows at the employee dorm. Park staff captured and relocated it to a remote area.
But the bear returned to the Lake McDonald area, breaking into a vehicle to obtain food.
Goodbye, bear.
