This story is excerpted from the MT Lowdown, a weekly newsletter digest containing original reporting and analysis published every Friday.
Federal authorities are seeking information about the shooting of a grizzly sow found just west of the Montana-Idaho border near Perkins Lake.
The sow was part of the Cabinet-Yaak grizzly population, which includes parts of northwestern Montana and northeast Idaho. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and nonprofit wildlife advocacy groups are providing up to $15,000 for information about the bear’s shooter.
Grizzly biologists were alerted to the bear’s killing Oct. 28 when the radio collar she had been fitted with started sending a mortality signal. Grizzly bears are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, meaning it is illegal for members of the public to kill them except for exceptional circumstances. According to a December press release, there is no indication that the bear was shot in self-defense.
“Service staff and [Idaho Department of Fish and Game] officers investigated and determined the grizzly was shot in a manner indicating it was not a threat to the shooter,” according to the release.
Two nonprofit organizations have joined the USFWS in offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest or civil penalty. USFWS is offering up to $7,000, Idaho’s Citizens Against Poaching is offering $700 and the Center for Biological Diversity announced on Jan. 13 that it is adding another $7,300 to the reward pot.
In a press release about the reward issued this week, Kristine Akland, the Center for Biological Diversity’s Northern Rockies director, emphasized the outsized importance of female grizzlies, particularly for the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem’s struggling population. After decades of reintroduction efforts in the Cabinet Mountains, recent estimates put the range’s grizzly population at just 30 to 35 grizzlies.
“This was a tragic, completely preventable loss, and the consequences to grizzly recovery are enormous,” Akland said. “In a population this small and fragile, every female is critical to survival. Losing even one can tip the balance toward the decline of the entire population. We’re increasing the reward because the person responsible for killing this bear needs to be held accountable.” USFWS is encouraging anyone with information to call 1-844-397-8477 or make a report to www.fws.gov/wildlife-crime-tips. Reporting portals are also available through the Citizens Against Poaching website and hotline. Callers can remain anonymous.
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