Griz falls onto Glacier Park's Sun Road, has to be euthanized

A female grizzly was euthanized by Park rangers on July 15 after it apparently fell on the Going-to-the-Sun Road near Rimrocks, not far from Logan Pass.

Rimrocks is a sheer cliff that rises above the highway.

At about 11:30 p.m. rangers found the bear partially paralyzed on the highway. After consulting with the Park’s biologist, they euthanized the poor bruin.

The Park Service conducted a necropsy and found significant trauma to its thoracic vertebrae, broken ribs, and a dislocated hip, park officials said in a release. The non-lactating female bear was estimated to be 5-7 years old and appeared to be in otherwise good health. Rangers initially thought the bear had been hit by a car, but evidence at the

scene showed that the bear had slipped off an overhanging precipice and landed on its back in the road, falling about 20 feet, park officials said.

There are about 300 grizzlies in the park. Grizzly deaths, outside of natural deaths, are rare in the park. Most bear deaths in the region occur on private property, where there are conflicts with humans. Hunting season is also a problematic time for grizzlies, as encounters with hunters, even though there is no season on grizzlies in Montana, often don’t end well for the bear, and sometimes, the hunter.

Park officials notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as required since the grizzly bear is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, and informed Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks of the incident.