Whitefish Range Grizzly moved to Cabinets to augment population
by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
July 20, 2010
A 249-pound, sub-adult male grizzly bear was relocated yesterday to the Hiatt Creek drainage, above Spar Lake in the West Cabinet Mountains south of Troy. The 4-year old male grizzly was captured on July 17 near Coal Creek in the Whitefish Range on the Flathead National Forest. The bear was held overnight and fitted with a radio-collar the morning of July18, and relocated to the Kootenai National Forest at 7 p.m. that evening. The bear was relocated to augment the grizzly bear population in the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem.
FWP Grizzly Bear Management Specialist Tim Manley, and Derek and Heather Reich, sponsored by the FWP Foundation, captured the bear as part of the ongoing effort to recover grizzly bears in the Cabinets. They fitted the bear with a special radio-collar to enable biologists to closely follow its movements.
According to Kim Annis, FWP Bear Management Specialist in the Libby area, the grizzly was a good candidate for the augmentation project. "We are very particular about getting a bear in good condition and with no history of conflict with humans," Annis said.
|
