On Sunday, June 14, Idaho Fish and Game enforcement officers and biologists responded to a report of a black bear in a tree in a residential area in Nampa. In collaboration with the Nampa Police and Fire Departments, Fish and Game staff sedated the yearling male black bear, loaded it into a trap, and transported it to a suitable release location in Unit 32A, north of Ola.
This bear was a yearling that was probably recently kicked off by a sow, and trying to figure out how to survive on its own. This bear hadn't caused any issues or conflicts that Fish and Game staff were aware of, was not food-conditioned, and very clearly had an appropriate fear of humans, all of which factored into the decision to relocate it.
"It's not an everyday, or even yearly, occurrence for a bear to end up roaming a Treasure Valley neighborhood, and it's even rarer for us to relocate one," said Regional Wildlife Manager Ryan Walrath. "Often, euthanizing a bear in town is our only option."
Frequently, by the time Fish and Game staff hear about bears in town, they've been causing problems for a while, have been receiving food rewards from human sources, and have lost an appropriate fear of people. It would be a recipe for continued conflicts with people and a potential public safety risk if Fish and Game were to relocate a bear in those circumstances. Even when those circumstances are absent, chemically immobilizing and attempting to relocate any large animals poses potential risks to the public, the animal, and Fish and Game staff.
"Our priority is public safety and the safety of our staff, followed by the safety of the animal," said Regional Supervisor Josh Royse. "We don't always have the resources to mitigate those risks to an acceptable level, but in this case, we did. It is rare that we can do anything other than euthanize a bear that is in a place that we don't want it. This was one of those very rare exceptions, and we took advantage of it."
It could be a busy year for town bears in the Treasure Valley
Wildlife biologists in Southwest Idaho are seeing more reports of bears in town than usual, and earlier than usual, this year. That's likely influenced by the current drought conditions.
"We wouldn't be shocked to see even more bears in places they wouldn't normally be as we get into late summer and early fall, as we expect that natural food sources will be harder to come by," Walrath said.
While it might seem strange to say about the Boise metropolitan area, the Treasure Valley does sit on the edge of the untamed, and essentially, all of Idaho is bear habitat. It will be particularly important this year for residents to remember that, and as we get into summer and early fall, they should think about adjusting some of their behaviors to ensure they don't give bears that wander into town any incentives to stick around, such as:
- Remove bird feeders between April and mid-November
- Feed pets inside
- Place trash cans out the morning of your pickup day, not the night before
- Do not keep coolers, refrigerators, or freezers outside
- If a bear has already visited your place and found food, take the above steps right away. The bear will likely pay you a couple more visits, but if it finds no food, it will eventually move on
Also, it's important that residents promptly report bear problems to their local Fish and Game office. Often, if Fish and Game know of a problem early, staff can provide homeowners with information to encourage them to make some of the above changes, making their neighborhood less attractive to bears and making non-lethal interventions by Fish and Game staff more effective. If the first report Fish and Game receives is about a bear trying to get into a house, staff have fewer options. If you see a bear in town, report it to the Southwest Region Office in Nampa at 208-465-8465.