Montana family says unsecured food, trash led to black bear's death at campground

Near a Montana campground, a black bear was killed in a case that shows how quickly human carelessness can turn deadly for wildlife.

A Billings family that witnessed the episode says unsecured food and garbage drew the bear in and set the chain of events in motion.

What happened?

While camping at MK Campground near Red Lodge, Montana, Chris and Chelsey Harris noticed a black bear moving through the area. Chelsey Harris said the animal did not appear threatening, telling local reporters: "He was curious. He was totally not aggressive at all."

According to KTVQ, the bear later went to a nearby campsite that had been left unattended for several hours, where food, dog food, cooking grease, and multiple bags of garbage were sitting out. 

"There was a lot of dog food, whatever they cooked on their grill. They did not clean up afterwards. Imagine bacon grease and eggs," Chelsey Harris told KTVQ.

The family said the same bear returned the next day.

Chrissy Webb — a spokesperson for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks — said the Red Lodge area is having "an unprecedented year" for conflicts and added that six food-conditioned bears have already been euthanized there this year, KTVQ reported.

Why does it matter?

Bears that keep finding easy meals around campgrounds can lose their normal avoidance of people. Once they become food-conditioned, they start linking humans with food, which raises the danger for campers, pets, and wildlife officers.

In those situations, the bear often pays the price for a problem created by people.

Officials said this bear was an adult female with a history of raiding campsites. Montana FWP said hazing and trapping efforts did not work, and the bear was euthanized because of public safety concerns.

Human behavior contributes to many wildlife conflicts, whether that means leaving trash unsecured, feeding animals, or pushing recreation farther into habitat. Webb said Montana FWP also believes some people may be worsening the problem deliberately. "We believe there is intentionally feeding of bears," Webb told KTVQ.

What's being done?

FWP is telling campers and residents to lock up food, garbage, pet food, and other attractants. Officials say bear-resistant containers and locked vehicles are important tools to prevent wildlife from accessing human food.

The agency is also asking anyone with evidence that bears are being intentionally fed to report it. Feeding bears is illegal, officials say, and it can create the repeated encounters that end in euthanization.

Once a bear learns to treat campgrounds as a dependable food source, the consequences can arrive quickly and may be irreversible. 

"It's a shame. The bear belongs to all of us. It's one of our resources, and we should take that very seriously," Chris Harris told KTVQ. 

"Hearing those two shots in the canyon, it just echoed, and understanding that it ended the life of this beautiful animal," Chelsey Harris added.

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