GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - State wildlife officials say an aging grizzly bear was euthanized for killing calves along the Rocky Mountain Front, while hikers in the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness reported killing a grizzly bear in self-defense.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks grizzly management specialist Mike Madel tells the Great Falls Tribune the 24-year-old male grizzly killed southwest of Augusta on Monday is one of the oldest bears he’s seen. He says the bear weighed 551 pounds, but had bad teeth and signs of arthritis.
The bear was captured by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and biologists decided to euthanize the animal.
Montana Public Radio reports state and federal wildlife agencies are investigating the reported self-defense shooting of a female grizzly bear south of Troy last Friday,
Grizzly bears are protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
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