Officials seeking more info on grizzly shooting in Browning

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department are still seeking information related to the illegal shooting of a female grizzly bear that officials estimate occurred on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in mid-May.

The two agencies are now offering a monetary reward of up to $5,000 for information contributing significantly to furthering the investigation into the death of the grizzly, according to a press release.

The GPS-collared bear was last known to be alive on May 11. Law enforcement agents believe the bear was killed on the reservation on or around May 12 near Boarding School Road in Browning.

The light golden-colored grizzly bear, nicknamed “Yogi” by researchers, was found dead by Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department game wardens the week of May 14.

The bear’s carcass was transported to the Montana FWP lab in Bozeman where an examination into the bear’s death “revealed that the grizzly bear had been shot.”

The Wildlife Service and Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department will apply legal protections to hold accountable anyone who knowingly harasses, harms or feeds grizzly bears. Grizzly bears are currently protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

If an individual has information about the shooting and killing of the bear, they are encouraged to call the Wildlife Service’s special agent at 406-761-2286 or email lawenforcement@fws.org. Members of the public who report information can remain anonymous. The press release also thanked those who came forward with information after the first press release on the incident was released in June.