STEVENS COUNTY, Wash. — The Stevens County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) says a bear that was trapped north of Colville last September was found breaking into a chicken coop north of Chewelah Sunday morning.
Once the bear was captured, the sheriff's office says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife released the bear at a relocation site on the Colville National Forest in the Selkirk Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone in northeast Pend Oreille County.
The sheriff's office said the bear was trapped last September in the Onion Creek area. The sheriff's office also said the bear came back to Stevens County in the late spring.
According to the sheriff's office, grizzly bears are listed as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The sheriff's office also said the bear "appears to remain wary of people and is searching for easy sources of food in addition to normal seasonal bear foods."
The sheriff's office is asking people to remove or secure all bear attractants on their properties and protect small livestock and chickens with electric fencing.
You are also asked to report grizzly bear sightings at 360-902-2936 Option 1 or the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office at 509-684-5296. You can call them at 509-684-2555 after hours.
For more information about grizzly bears, click this link.
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