Govind Tekale
In the remote backcountry of Yellowstone National Park, a seemingly simple food bag hanging from a pole became the final chapter in one bear’s story. On July 11, 2025, park officials made the difficult decision to euthanize an adult female black bear after she demonstrated increasingly bold food-seeking behaviors in the Blacktail Deer Creek area.
The bear’s story began on June 7 when she crushed an unoccupied tent at a backcountry campsite. Weeks later, the same bear climbed a food storage pole—equipment specifically designed to keep wildlife away from human food—and tore down properly secured food bags. After consuming the campers’ provisions, park officials determined she posed too great a risk to visitor safety.
“We go to great lengths to protect bears and prevent them from gaining access to human food in all areas of the park,” explained Kerry Gunther, Yellowstone’s bear management biologist. “But occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses. When that happens, we sometimes have to make the difficult decision to remove the bear from the population to protect people and property.”
This marks the first black bear euthanized for management reasons in Yellowstone since 2020. Earlier this year, in May 2025, park officials also removed an 11-year-old male grizzly bear after it overturned several bear-resistant dumpsters near Old Faithful, the Nez Perce Picnic Area, and the Midway Geyser Basin parking lot between April 3 and May 13.
The Science of Food Conditioning
When wild bears access human food, they undergo a behavioral transformation called food conditioning. This isn’t just a preference—it fundamentally alters their behavior. Food-conditioned bears lose their natural wariness of humans and begin associating people with food rewards, creating potentially dangerous situations.
The science behind this is clear: once a bear becomes food-conditioned, reversing this behavior is nearly impossible. Yellowstone’s monitoring data shows that since the 1970s, 54% of grizzly bears that were involved in conflicts and relocated in Yellowstone caused more conflicts after their relocation, demonstrating the persistent nature of this learned behavior.
Bears can transmit food-seeking behaviors to other bears, creating a significant management challenge. Wildlife biologists have documented how bears can learn behaviors from each other, particularly between mothers and cubs, which makes preventing food conditioning critically important to overall bear management. Recent viral videos claiming bears were fleeing Yellowstone en masse were thoroughly debunked after investigation revealed the footage was taken at a South Dakota wildlife park.
Remarkably Rare Incidents
Despite approximately 4.5 million annual visitors to Yellowstone, bear-human conflicts remain exceptionally rare. According to National Park Service data, bear-inflicted injuries occur at a rate of approximately 1 in 2.7 million visits for grizzly bears.
For backcountry campers specifically, the risk of injury from a black bear is approximately 1 in 850,000 overnight stays, according to bear management data. These statistics underscore how uncommon these incidents are, despite the presence of both black and grizzly bears throughout the park.
The park continuously monitors bear conflicts and management actions. The last black bear removed for management reasons before this recent incident was in July 2020, when a female black bear bit a woman and nipped at a child while trying to access human food at a backcountry campsite near the Hellroaring Trailhead.
Ecological Pressures Behind Bear Behavior
Behind many bear conflicts lie ecological pressures that park visitors rarely see. Bears rely heavily on seasonal foods—berries, pine nuts, and even army cutworm moths (also known as miller moths). When these natural food sources diminish due to factors like climate change or disease, bears may turn to human food sources.
A significant ecological pressure is the decline of whitebark pine, a crucial food source for Yellowstone bears. These high-elevation trees produce nutritious seeds that bears rely on, particularly in fall as they prepare for hibernation. Bears raid squirrel caches of stored whitebark pine nuts, taking advantage of their high fat content. However, whitebark pine has faced severe decline due to blister rust disease and mountain pine beetle infestations.
Army cutworm moths also represent a surprisingly important food source. During summer months, bears can consume up to 40,000 moths per day at high-elevation sites, providing approximately 20,000 calories daily. These moths are exceptionally high in fat, making them an efficient energy source for bears preparing for winter hibernation.
Bear Management Challenges
Yellowstone’s bear management strategy extends far beyond the food poles that failed to deter the recently euthanized black bear. The park maintains bear-resistant infrastructure at all 293 backcountry campsites and conducts extensive visitor education programs.
Relocation, often suggested by the public, presents significant challenges. Bears possess strong homing instincts, and relocation typically just displaces the problem to a new area. As Yellowstone’s data shows, more than half of relocated conflict bears eventually reoffend, making this a temporary solution at best. This ongoing challenge is evident in a recent case where grizzly bear relocation near Yellowstone sparked fresh debate on wildlife conflicts and cattle loss in Wyoming.
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The park must also consider the long-term impacts of management decisions on bear populations. While the recent euthanizations represent isolated incidents, they occur within the broader context of conservation efforts that have successfully brought both black and grizzly bear populations to sustainable levels within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The first 2025 grizzly bear in Grand Teton was confirmed on March 19, signaling the continued presence of these magnificent animals throughout the region.
Communities surrounding Yellowstone have implemented innovative solutions to reduce bear attractants. Gardiner, Montana, for example, has developed specialized steel, front-opening trash bins that have proven effective at keeping bears away from community waste. Local resident Ian McIntosh has been building steel-welded structures with resistant-proof pin lock designs to replace existing plywood boxes that bears could easily damage.
Historical Context of Bear Management
Yellowstone’s approach to bear management has evolved significantly over time. In the mid-20th century, park dumps attracted bears for tourist viewing—a practice that nearly eradicated Yellowstone’s grizzly population and led to their protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1975. Similar ecological interventions, such as Yellowstone’s wolf reintroduction, have dramatically transformed the park’s ecosystem over the past three decades.
Today’s management practices reflect decades of learning and scientific research. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team continuously monitors bear populations and behavior, adjusting management strategies based on the latest findings.
While difficult decisions like euthanization are sometimes necessary, they represent a small component of a comprehensive management approach that has successfully restored bear populations while maintaining visitor safety in one of America’s busiest national parks.
What Visitors Can Do
Preventing future bear euthanizations largely depends on visitor behavior. Park officials emphasize several critical practices:
Use food poles or bear boxes at all times except when actively cooking or eating. This simple action could have prevented the recent black bear’s food conditioning.
Carry bear spray—studies confirm it’s more effective than firearms for deterring aggressive bears.
Maintain at least 100 yards distance from bears. Remember that all of Yellowstone is bear habitat, even seemingly developed areas like boardwalks near Old Faithful. Wildlife safety extends to all species in the park, as evidenced by a recent incident where a New Jersey man was gored by a bison after approaching too closely.
Report any bear sightings near camps or improper food storage by other visitors to rangers immediately.
