Overview

• On July 11, staff euthanized an adult female black bear in the Blacktail Deer Creek drainage after it crushed an unoccupied tent and later climbed a secured food pole to access campers’ supplies.
• This is the first black bear removed for food-conditioned behavior in Yellowstone since July 2020 under long-standing wildlife management protocols.
• Officials said the bear’s escalating property damage and reward-driven behavior indicated a clear threat to visitor safety and left lethal removal as the only viable option.
• Yellowstone now mandates that campers at its 293 backcountry sites use either food storage poles or bear-resistant containers at all times when not cooking or eating.
• Lethal interventions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem remain rare under Endangered Species Act protections and are permitted only when human safety is at imminent risk.