fbpx

Bears Search for Food Closer to Missoula Amid Berry Scarcity

Numerous bear-related incidents have been reported in the last month

By Dillon Tabish

MISSOULA — A wildlife official says the drought has dried up berry crops and pushed black bears searching for food closer to Missoula.

The Missoulian reports Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear manager Jamie Jonkel says bears are coming down to look for chokecherries, the most dependable berry in the area.

Numerous bear-related incidents have been reported in the last month, some ending with animals being euthanized.

Black bears are sniffing around the edges of neighborhoods while Jonkel says grizzly bears have been less troublesome due to a low snowpack giving them earlier access to the high country.

Jonkel said people on the outskirts of urban neighborhoods can make their homes less attractive to bears by removing outside sources of food, like bird feeders.