Fish and Game, city police and fire departments relocate black bear from Nampa neighborhood

On Sunday, June 14, Idaho Fish and Game enforcement officers and biologists responded to a report of a black bear in a tree in a residential area in Nampa. In collaboration with the Nampa Police and Fire Departments, Fish and Game staff sedated the yearling male black bear, loaded it into a trap, and transported it to a suitable release location in Unit 32A, north of Ola.

This bear was a yearling that was probably recently kicked off by a sow, and trying to figure out how to survive on its own. This bear hadn’t caused any issues or conflicts that Fish and Game staff were aware of, was not food-conditioned, and very clearly had an appropriate fear of humans, all of which factored into the decision to relocate it.

 “It’s not an everyday, or even yearly, occurrence for a bear to end up roaming a Treasure Valley neighborhood, and it’s even rarer for us to relocate one,” said Regional Wildlife Manager Ryan Walrath. “Often, euthanizing a bear in town is our only option.”

Frequently, by the time Fish and Game staff hear about bears in town, they’ve been causing problems for a while, have been receiving food rewards from human sources, and have lost an appropriate fear of people. It would be a recipe for continued conflicts with people and a potential public safety risk if Fish and Game were to relocate a bear in those circumstances. Even when those circumstances are absent, chemically immobilizing and attempting to relocate any large animals poses potential risks to the public, the animal, and Fish and Game staff. 

“Our priority is public safety and the safety of our staff, followed by the safety of the animal,” said Regional Supervisor Josh Royse. “We don’t always have the resources to mitigate those risks to an acceptable level, but in this case, we did. It is rare that we can do anything other than euthanize a bear that is in a place that we don’t want it. This was one of those very rare exceptions, and we took advantage of it.”