WHITEFISH - Wisconsin Avenue in Whitefish has long been known as an area frequented by bears. Usually the prowlers are black bears, but lately grizzlies have been coming to town.
Thursday afternoon a new blond native was spotted in Whitefish, This 6-foot, 300-pound grizzly is a bit smaller than Lacy, another grizzly known to frequent the area. Since the new bear was not fitted with a tracking device she was a bit tougher for bear management specialists to keep up with.
"Without a radio collar, this is like finding a needle in a haystack," bear specialist Erik Wenum said while surveying a nearby field where the grizzly was,thought to be. "All we can do is get into the area and hope we spot her or wait for another frantic call."
Eventually Wenum, with the help of police officers and Carrie Hunt's Karelian bear dogs, did spot the animal and was able to get close enough to dart her. After the bear went down she was checked out, measured and put into a culvert trap for transport out of the area.
For the past couple of weeks bear specialists like Wenurn and Tim Manley of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks have been trying to deal with a female grizzly known as "Lacy."
Three different times this bear has been trapped and removed from Whitefish. On Wednesday night Lacy was back again. But this time a different tactic was used. A garbage can was booby trapped with pepper spray.
CAG Comment
Bruce Gillis reports he has been coming to the Glacier Park area for the past twenty years and this is the first time he has had a problem. It only takes once and you could have a tragedy on your hands. We don't need this in the Bitterroot Valley.
End CAG Comment
"That was the first one she hit." Manley said. "She got hit with that pepper and didn't mess around there anymore."
She was then chased away from Whitefish using beanbag rounds and loud "cracker" shells.
One of the reasons that the bears end up in Whitefish is the garbage cans, another is the apple trees. This time of year the bears are feeding ravenously on anything they can get in preparation for hibernation.
"Garbage and fruit trees arc the main thing the bears arc coming to town for." said John Fraley, inforrmation officer for the State Department of Fish. Wildlife and Parks. "lt's amazing the sense of smell bears have for these things."
RETURN