Recent Selkirk region human-caused grizzly deaths recounted

ENDANGERED SPECIES — Further clarification from today’s outdoors column on the case of a North Idaho facing federal charges for shooting a grizzly bear in his yard on May 8.

2007 was a notably bad year for Selkirk grizzlies.

• One was killed by indiscriminant hunters northeast of Sullivan Lake near Pass Creek Pass. They were from Moses Lake and were later prosecuted in Spokane.
• One grizzly that wandered far south was killed by a black bear hunter near Kelly Creek.
• Another grizzly was killed that year near Priest River. That bear had become addicted to human food after a photographer essentially baited the animal for better pictures.

Readers are pointing out that a Rose Lake elk rancher killed a grizzly that reportedly was harassing his animals two years ago. Apparently he was given permission to shoot a black bear threatening his elk, but it turned out to be a grizzly. I’ll need to check on the resolution of that case.