Yellowstone staff kill grizzly bear that developed human food habit, broke into dumpsters
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyom. (KRDO) - Yellowstone National Park staff trapped and killed a grizzly bear, after they say the bear became food-conditioned and began repeatedly flipping bear-resistant dumpsters. This is the first grizzly bear they've killed since 2017.
The National Park Service says they killed the 11-year-old male grizzly bear on May 14, 2025, since it was a threat to public safety. The bear was seeking out human food and, between April and mid-May, ventured repeatedly into developed areas outside of the park. The 400-pound bear even managed to flip multiple 800-pound dumpsters. The bear furthermore got into trash near Old Faithful, the Nez Perce Picnic Area, and the Midway Geyser Basin parking lot.
“It’s unfortunate that this bear began regularly seeking out garbage and was able to defeat the park’s bear-resistant infrastructure,” said Yellowstone Bear Management Biologist Kerry Gunther. “We go to great lengths to protect bears and prevent them from becoming conditioned to human food, but, occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses. When that happens, we sometimes have to remove the bear from the population to protect visitors and property.”
The last grizzly bear killed in a management action in Yellowstone was in September 2017, when the park removed a grizzly bear that was damaging tents and accessing human food in backcountry campsites at Heart Lake.
Yellowstone's bear management plan means that the park provides bear-resistant food storage lockers in all campgrounds, food storage devices in all backcountry campsites, and bear-resistant garbage cans and dumpsters. Yellowstone reminds visitors that using these bear safety measures are a crucial part of ensuring public safety and preventing wildlife from developing dangerous habits.
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