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Young Male Grizzly Relocated to Cabinet Mountains

By Beacon Staff

A young grizzly bear was relocated last week to the Cabinet Mountains as part of the grizzly bear population augmentation program.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials captured the 3-year-old sub-adult male grizzly bear in Coal Creek in the Whitefish Range of the Flathead National Forest. The bear had no history of conflict with humans and was never previously captured, according to FWP. The bear was relocated and released above Spar Lake in the Kootenai National Forest.

The Cabinet Mountains grizzly bear population augmentation program is part of an ongoing effort to boost and recover the local grizzly population, according to FWP. It is a cooperative effort between FWP and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Under the program, FWP officials capture bears in backcountry areas of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and USFWS monitors the animals after their release in the Cabinet Mountains. All grizzly bears relocated to the Cabinets are monitored with a radio collar until their collars drop off. The collars utilize the global positioning system to gather locations every few hours in order to follow the bear’s movements.

The relocation of this recent male grizzly marks the 11th bear to be released into the Cabinet Mountains as part of the program since 2005.