KETCHUM, Idaho — Idaho Department of Fish and Game staff are trying to capture a black bear that "acted aggressively" toward a woman in a Ketchum neighborhood the morning of Monday, July 11.
The woman reported that the bear charged her after she opened her door and tried to verbally shoo away the bear, which had gotten into garbage outside her home in the Warm Springs neighborhood, according to Idaho Fish and Game. She quickly closed the door, but the bear collided with the door and then charged a window as the woman banged on the glass in an attempt to scare the bear away. The woman was not harmed.
Idaho Fish and Game said this is the second case of aggressive bears in the Warm Springs neighborhood in about a year. In June 2021, a woman had a face-to-face encounter with an aggressive black bear while walking through the neighborhood late at night. Streets were lined with garbage carts scheduled for pickup the next day. The Wood River Valley has had persistent problems with bears raiding garbage cans and finding other sources of food at or near people's homes.
After receiving the report about the July 11 bear encounter, IDFG staff went door to door in the neighborhood to notify residents. They're also working to locate the bear. Black bears can roam over large distances, but will usually return to areas where they have found food in the past.
"No one wants to see wildlife harmed, but we have no tolerance for bears that are aggressive toward people, or repeatedly return to homes and neighborhoods in search of food," said Terry Thompson, IDFG Magic Valley Regional Communications Manager, who also said that if Fish and Game staff are able to trap the bear, they'll have to euthanize it.
"We can't risk public safety on account of one animal that has developed a bad habit of roaming neighborhoods in search of food. We want wildlife to remain wild, but unfortunately, when there's bear food in the form of garbage or other attractants, bears will follow," Thompson said.
Idaho Fish and Game officials ask anyone who sees or finds evidence of a bear in the area to report it at 208-324-4359.
In a separate incident that also occurred this July, IDFG says a different bear was reported roaming around for several days in dispersed campsites north of Ketchum, in the North Fork area. While at the campsites, the bear reportedly found unsecured food, damaged camping gear and tried to get into cars.
On Thursday, July 14, in eastern Idaho, IDFG captured and euthanized a young male black bear at Stoddard Creek Campground north of Dubois in Clark County, near the Interstate 15 corridor and the Idaho-Montana border.
Thompson said bear encounters are mostly preventable by removing attractants such as food and garbage. IDFG also advises campers to clean all dishes and cooking utensils away from your tent and campsite after each meal, and warns that you should not bury food scraps or pour cooking grease into the ground or in your fire pit.
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