Grizzly bear poached

By Ethan Smith

Leader Staff

A grizzly bear was found shot last week, with its front claws removed, and a $5,000 reward is being offered to catch the poacher.

The shooting apparently took place in the late hours of Wednesday, Sept. 19, west of McDonald Lake near Hillside Road, and Tribal game wardens and Law and Order officers are working with state and federal wildlife officials to track down the person responsible.

Shooting a grizzly, which is listed as a “threatened species,” is a violation of federal law, and a felony punishable by a fine of up to $10,000. Management of grizzly bears typically falls under the authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and wardens with Fish, Wildlife and Parks are helping with the investigation.

FWP spokesman John Fraley said FWP wardens have found poached grizzlies with their claws removed in many parts of Western Montana. The claws can fetch a high price on the black market.

“We see it off and on with poached grizzlies,” Fraley said.

According to a press release from Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes spokesman Rob McDonald, it’s been many years since a bear was shot illegally on the reservation. While the harvesting of black bears on the reservation is legal for tribal members, shooting a grizzly is a violation of federal law for anyone.

The grizzly that was shot was estimated to be between seven and 10-years-old. The press release didn’t indicate the bear’s sex.

The Tribes go to great lengths to protect grizzly bear habitat, including closing potential feeding areas to hiking and other recreational activity throughout the summer and fall. There’s also a 10,000 acre Grizzly Bear Conservation Area, located within the larger Tribal Wilderness area in the Mission Mountain Range.

The Defenders of Wildlife, a national non-profit conservation group, has offered the $5,000 reward in hopes that someone knows something about last week’s poaching. The reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest and subsequent prosecution of the person and persons responsible.

Anyone with information can contact Tribal Law and Order officer Mike McElderry at 675-4700.