June 27, 1998 Last of the killer Grizzly family destroyed. Story by MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian.
At about 9 p.m. Thursday, field rangers shot a sub adult male grizzly, who along with his mother and sister was suspected of pursuing, killing and eating a Colorado man.
The remains of Craig Dahl, 26, were found May 20 in the Two Medicine Valley, located in the southeastern corner of Glacier Park.
While the mother and sister were quickly located and killed, the young male disappeared in the early days of the investigation By the time DNA test reports fingered him as a participant in the incident, he was nowhere to be seen, said park spokeswoman Amy Vanderbilt.
The fugitive grizzly turned up again Wednesday, when he bluff charged and circled a group of tourists near the head of lower Two Medicine Lake, she said.
Rangers responding caught just a glimpse of him before he again melted into the woods. At about 6 p.m. Thursday, rangers spotted him once again, tracking his movements from a distance with binoculars. After a one and a half hour hike to reach the bear, rangers shot and killed the animal just before dark.
He was identified by ear tags as the fugitive bruin.
"The loss of human life and the subsequent killing of a grizzly bear family are both tragedies," said Steve Frye, the park's chief ranger.
"As much as we regret killing any bears, especially grizzlies, the key to protecting grizzlies is prevention."
According to Frye, grizzlies are quite intelligent, and can learn quickly to connect human activity with possible food sources.
The family group killed, Frye said, first got into trouble while licking barbecue grills just beyond the park's eastern boundary.
"In order to preserve a wild, non habituated population of grizzly bears in Glacier National Park and
elsewhere," he said, "we all must do our share to prevent bears from obtaining human foods."According to Vanderbilt, the young male was killed in a remote avalanche chute in the upper Two Medicine Valley, surrounded by thick alder. Because of the logistics required to reach the site, she said, the carcass will be left in the back country.
"It's not anywhere near a trail," Vanderbilt said. "It shouldn't cause any threat whatsoever by attracting other scavengers."
Trails in the area, she said, are open once again to hikers and campers.