The black bear was killed by a Fish and Game officer in Riggins

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) killed a black bear in Riggins after the animal approached a large gathering of people. The IDFG said the officer made several unsuccessful attempts to scare off the animal before shooting it.

IDFG said the bear appeared in broad daylight on June 1 during the annual Big Water Blowout and Dutch Oven Cookoff. The bear entered the park and passed nearby people, showing “no fear of humans,” which officials deemed a threat to public safety.

The conservation officer and Idaho State Police tried to “fog” the bear to get it to leave the area, IDFG said. But after it didn’t run away, officials shot the bear near Riggins City Park, in front of onlookers.

IDFG has a statement regarding the incident.

“Fish and Game employees choose a career in wildlife management and conservation because they care deeply about wildlife, so the decision to euthanize animals is not one we take lightly. However, we must we prioritize public safety and given the unique circumstances of a concerned bear that could walk into a large crowd of people, the decision to kill the bear was the right thing to do, but unfortunately killing this bear was a means to an end. the last one is unfortunate, but not as tragic as if he had injured a man as we had a chance to stop him.”

The bear was first seen in early May and was eating human waste, the IDFG said. The city and the department worked together to prevent the bear from eating more garbage.

“Unfortunately, the bear continued to have access to garbage and other food and was increasingly showing signs of being unafraid of humans, even after several residents had fired warning shots in its vicinity,” the IDFG said.

Department officials said trapping and relocating the bear was not an option because by getting into people’s trash, it would likely return or find people’s trash nearby.

IDFG urged the public to secure their own litter to keep wildlife and people safe.

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