Grizzly bear, cub shot near St. Ignatius

Officials are searching for the shooter of a sow grizzly bear and her cub near St. Ignatius in September. 

Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are seeking information on the shooting of a sow grizzly bear and her cubs near St. Ignatius in September. 

According to a press release issued on Oct. 5, tribal wildlife officers trapped the cubs on Sept. 5, after they were spotted calling for their mother. After a two-week search, authorities located the mother in Millie’s Woods area south of Post Creek, where she was found to be in poor health. Tribal biologists were forced to euthanize the sow, and a necropsy later confirmed that she had been shot. One of the cubs was also discovered to have a bullet wound as well. 

The orphaned cubs are being cared for by the Montana Wildlife Center in Helena. 

“It’s really a tragedy,” said Germaine White, a spokeswoman with the tribe’s Natural Resources Department. “Especially considering that the cubs were females. That’s a lot of reproductive potential being lost.” Officials are requesting that anyone with information on the shootings to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent at 406-329-3000, or tribal conservation officer Pablo Espinoza at 406-675-4700. Callers may remain anonymous and a reward of up to $4,000 may be available for information leading to a conviction.