National Park Service employees in Wyoming were forced to euthanize a black bear after visitors repeatedly fed it, creating a dangerous situation, officials said.
Grand Teton National Park announced that staff put the bear down last Friday following several days of increasingly troubling behavior involving both the animal and park visitors.
The bear began approaching people near Delta Lake, a popular hiking destination in the park’s Glacier Gulch area, after receiving repeated “rewards” of human food, according to a statement from Grand Teton National Park.
Images shared by officials showed the large animal searching through abandoned drinks, food and other trash left behind by tourists in the remote backcountry.
Rangers increased patrols around the area but found the bear unusually resistant to hazing efforts. Officials said its conduct indicated it had become conditioned to seek food from people.
With each discarded meal and snack reinforcing the behavior, the black bear became food-conditioned and posed what authorities described as an “unacceptable safety risk” to visitors.
Relocating the animal was not considered a viable option because of its strong connection to its home range. Officials also said suitable areas with limited human activity are becoming harder to find as visitation increases across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The 310,000-acre region, known for its pristine lakes and dramatic alpine scenery, is home to several hundred black bears and dozens of grizzly bears, according to Grand Teton Wildlife Tours.
“In this case, after considering the bear’s behavior and the circumstances, wildlife managers determined that other options had been exhausted and the bear posed a clear risk to human safety,” the park said. “Lethal removal is always a last resort.”
Wildlife specialists first used a dart to immobilize the bear before euthanizing it. The animal was then flown out of the backcountry the following morning.
“We need to be clear—this bear was lethally removed because of poor decisions made by park visitors,” Grand Teton National Park said.
Park officials reminded visitors to collect all personal belongings, particularly food, if a bear comes near.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to help keep bears wild: Never leave food unattended, even for a moment,” officials wrote. “If you have time to grab your phone, you have time to grab your food.”
