A 4-year-old male grizzly bear that was moved away from the Columbia Falls area for breaking into a chicken coop and getting into pet food has been killed by wildlife officials after returning to the area to continue scavenging.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists captured the bear last month after it was suspected of breaking into camper shells, breaking a garage window and getting into garbage. Officials say the break-ins stopped after the bear was relocated to Frozen Lake near the Canadian border.
Grizzly bear management specialist Tim Manley says the 370-pound bear returned to the Whitefish area earlier this week where it approached houses, got into cat food and killed chickens.
Manley says the bear was killed in the interest of human safety.