For the first time in over four decades, wildlife biologists captured a female grizzly bear with her cubs. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said on Thursday, July 15, that they put a radio collar on the female grizzly bear to monitor its activity before releasing her and her cubs.
She was captured by the US Fish and Wildlife Service biologists about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Washington-Idaho state line on the US Forest Service land.
Female Grizzly Bear in Washington State
According to Phys.org, wildlife biologists first became aware of the presence of the female grizzly bear in Washington state through the images captured by cameras in the Selkirk Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone, a remote area located in the Selkirk Mountains and one of six recovery zones in the country for as part of the federal recovery plan for grizzly bears.
"A group of bears - a mother and three cubs - were photographed on another occasion on a game camera in the same area three to four weeks prior to the capture," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grizzly bear biologist Wayne Kasworm said, as quoted by the news outlet. "The natal collar - the white ring around the neck - of one of the cubs leads us to believe this is the same family of bears."
The state agency said that the bear's three cubs went into the surroundings as wildlife biologists were doing their routine health checks on the female grizzly bear. They also fitted her with a radio collar to monitor her activities. Wildlife biologists believe that the female grizzly bear lives in the area and that it would be impossible for her to come from the outside.
Under the federal Endangered Species Act, grizzly bears are listed as threatened species and classified as endangered species in Washington state, US News reported.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife works with federal wildlife officials to monitor grizzly bears, including their survival, reproduction, habitats, food habits, genetics, and mortality.
Grizzly Bears in Washington State
According to Conservation Northwest, grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Selkirk Mountains in northeast Washington are one of the two federally designated grizzly populations in the state. The other group is found in the North Cascades, where less than ten grizzly bears are said to reside.
The Selkirk grizzly population lies primarily on the Colville National Forest at the eastern part of Pend Orelle River and High Highway 31. Presently, wildlife officials have recorded 50-60 grizzly bears in the Selkirk Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone, wherein the numbers are equally divided between the Canadian and American portions of the transboundary ecosystem.
It is estimated that of these bears, there are 12 of them residing in Washington, while another 40 are estimated to roam the Cabinet-Yaak Grizzly Recovery Zone near northwestern Montana and northeastern Idaho.
To protect the population of grizzly bears in Washington, biologists hope to augment the existing bear population with breeding-age females, educate hunters between the differences between black bears (legal to hunt) and grizzly bears (illegal to hunt), educate people on the proper food storage in bear country, and protect habitat and safe passage between bear populations.
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