Authorities in Idaho are seeking help in locating the person who illegally shot and killed a grizzly bear last month, leaving its cub to die.
According to Idaho Fish and Game the bear was shot multiple times near the Pole Bridge Campground in Island Park between March 15-23.
It was the third killing of a grizzly bear in the same general area during the past eight months, and all three cases remain under investigation.
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Grizzly bears are protected in Idaho by state and federal law.
A reward of $40,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and a conviction in the most recent case.
“The loss of a reproductive female grizzly is a real tragedy,” Conservation Officer Doug Peterson said in a news release issued Monday. “Someone out there knows what happened to this bear and we are asking them to come forward and share that information with us.”
Idaho Fish and Game located the carcass after receiving a mortality signal from the bear’s GPS collar. Biologists visited momma bear’s den and found a 6- to 8-week-old cub “that also perished as a result of her death.”
The $40,000 reward is being offered by Citizens Against Poaching ($5,000), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ($5,000), and various NGOs ($30,000).
Idaho Fish and Game is asking anyone with information that might prove helpful in solving these cases to call its Upper Snake Regional Office 208-525-7290, the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999, or to submit details online. Callers can remain anonymous.
–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service