East Idaho Grizzly Euthanized, Cubs Being Evaluated

CHESTER, Idaho (AP) — Wildlife officials in eastern Idaho on Thursday captured and euthanized a 13-year-old grizzly bear habituated to human-related food after catching it and her two yearling cubs in a trap near the town of Chester.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game says state and federal officials are evaluating whether the cubs can survive on their own if released back into the wild. The bears had been previously captured near Cody, Wyoming, and released in the Jedidiah Smith Wilderness in that state on Sept. 21.

But officials say the bears immediately moved to lower elevations outside Ashton and Chester in Idaho where they repeatedly sought out apple trees in rural areas. Officials say they chose to euthanize the adult bear because of the high potential for future conflicts with humans.