Captured bear cub heads to Helena

A 20-pound black bear cub is headed to a state rehabilitation facility in Helena after Montana wildlife officials captured it in the Yaak on Thursday.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear specialist Kim Annis said Friday she was transporting the cub to the Montana Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center after nabbing the yearling bear in a culvert trap.

A Yaak resident was issued a warning for feeding deer on her property after she inadvertently lured the bear cub to her residence. Feeding game animals, including on private property, is illegal in Montana.

Annis said the cub initially was wary of the trap, indicating it had not yet become food-habituated. But the fact that it was hanging around the area after finding an easy meal indicated it may not have chosen to leave on its own.

Bears will only retire to their dens for the winter if they have fattened up sufficiently to survive until spring.

The cub will remain at the Helena center until state officials believe it has eaten enough to survive through spring, and then will be relocated.

“This little orphan isn’t an unusual product of the weather and food pattern we had last year,” Annis said Friday. “It’s just an unusual time of the year to capture it.”

Reporter Sam Wilson may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.