The Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Tuesday released a report detailing grizzly bear captures in 2020, which were down from previous years.

According to the report, officials captured 27 grizzlies, 13 of which were due to bears killing livestock (primarily cattle). Another 13 were captured for obtaining food rewards or frequenting developed sites or human-populated areas.

Another bear, was a non-target capture but was relocated as a precautionary measure.

More than half of the captures (15) took place in Park County, while five were captured in Sublette County, three in Fremont County, two in Hot Springs County and two in Teton County.

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Nine bears were relocated to U.S. Forest Service Land in the Wind River and Absaroka mountain ranges.

Eighteen bears were removed from the population, a step that requires the authorization of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

“In comparison to some previous years, we had relatively low conflict in suitable habitat for bears,” Game and Fish Large Carnivore Conflict Coordinator Brian DeBolt said in a news release. "Game and Fish tries to mitigate conflicts with proactive strategies and a great deal of educational efforts for people living, working and recreating in these areas. However, sometimes a direct management action is necessary to minimize human-bear conflicts.”

Wildlife managers noted that increased recreation in 2020 was a concerned, but bears had ample natural food sources and recreationists practiced bear-aware strategies.

Bear Aware is a set of guidelines issued by the United States Forest Service. The broad strokes of the guidelines include:

    • Do not feed bears or other wildlife.
    • Carry bear spray
    • Hike as a group
    • Make Plenty of noise
    • Do not store food or scented items in a tent, including clothing with food residue.

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