The Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured and relocated an adult male grizzly bear on Wednesday, May 4. The bear was captured for cattle depredation on private land and relocated in the Sunlight Creek drainage approximately 30 miles from the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

Bears are relocated in accordance with state and federal law and regulation. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is required to notify the media whenever a grizzly bear is relocated. 

According to the department, grizzly bear relocation is a management tool, which large carnivore biologists use to minimize conflicts between humans and grizzly bears. It is critical to managing the expanding population of grizzly bears in Wyoming. 

“Capture is necessary when other deterrent or preventative options are exhausted or unattainable. Once the animal is captured, all circumstances are taken into account when determining if the [the bear] should be relocated. If relocation is warranted, a site is determined by considering the age, sex, and type of conflict the bear was involved in as well as potential human activity nearby,” the department stated in a Monday press release.

Grizzly bears are only relocated into areas already occupied by other grizzly bears. With any relocation, the Game and Fish Department consults with appropriate agencies to minimize the chance of future conflicts and maximize the relocated grizzly bear’s survival. Bears that are considered a threat to human safety are not relocated. In some cases, a bear may be removed from the population (euthanized) if it can’t be relocated successfully.