Problem bear put down

A grizzly bear with a history of trouble was captured and put down by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wednesday night.

The 4-year-old, 370-pound male was trapped in the Haskill Basin area north of Whitefish after it had approached homes, got into cat food, broke into a chicken coop and killed chickens.

The bear was caught last month in the Trumbull Creek area between Columbia Falls and Whitefish, and it was relocated to Frozen Lake near the Canadian border. Since then, it is suspected of being the culprit behind camper shell break-ins, a broken garage window, breaking into another chicken coop and getting into pet foods and garbage on its return trip south toward Whitefish.

The bear had been in the Whitefish and Columbia Falls area for about four days before it was captured.

“Based on the level of food conditioning and property damage demonstrated by the grizzly, the decision was made to kill the bear in the interest of human safety,” a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks press release states.

Tim Manley, a state grizzly bear management specialist, said pet food and garbage initially attracted the bear close to homes, ultimately resulting in the bear breaking into campers and structures. He said residents should secure attractants such as ripe fruit, garbage and bird feeders.

Manley has also recently set traps for an adult male grizzly bear in the Swan Valley that is breaking into garages to get bird seed and grain in the Shay Lake area. Another trap has been set in the Coram area for a grizzly bear that got into garbage in the back of back of a pickup truck.