KOTA Territory NewsBears cause problems in KOTA Territory town

Bears cause problems in KOTA Territory town

Jared Andersen, Sheridan newsroom

It's not always easy for kids to go away to summer camp.  They might miss home and don't like being away from Mom and Dad.  One group of campers in KOTA Territory found there is something even greater to worry about, nightly visits from a bear.

In 27 years of taking girl scouts camping at Thorne-Pider camp ground in Story, Wyoming, Jean Harm says bears visited the camp only twice.  Until this week.  Harm explains, "Our nurse got up to use the restroom, and when she came back from the restroom she heard a snorting noise, and something moving around, she looked out the screen door and the bear was on the porch."

Twice the black bear has gotten into a tent at Thorne-Rider camp.  The bear got into coolers, on the first night he was successful in getting food, but both times he knocked the tent over and woke up campers.  There was no one in the tent, but the scouts were in two nearby tents.  Harm says, "They seem to be pretty calm about this.  We haven't had any girls that are scared that have cried, and want to go home.  Most of them are really calm."

More than a dozen bear incidents have also been reported in Story, and bears have tried to break into homes.  Bruce Scigliano the Sheridan Game Warden says, "We've began an aggressive trapping effort at this time, we have a trap set here at Thorne-Rider, and also two other traps not far away."

Wyoming Game and Fish say their first priority is human safety, and if they catch a bear it will most likely be killed.  Scigliano explains, "Unfortunately in these circumstances our only choice is to lethally remove the bear where bears become habituated to human food."  Education efforts continue around Story, both campers and homeowners say they're removing anything that might attract a bear."

Harm says one good thing about the bear encounters is it teaches the girl scouts to be bear aware.  She says, "It's an educational process for them they go camping with their parents they'll be able to tell their parents how to take care of the food items."

Wyoming Game and Fish say people living in Story, or very near the Big Horn Mountains should immediately remove bird feeders, hummingbird feeders, compost piles, pet food, and garbage from around their homes.