Five food-conditioned black bears were captured and destroyed near Heron over the last week in response to what appears to be illegal bear feeding.

Based on reports and observations, a local resident allegedly was feeding the bears and creating a public safety hazard, according to Lee Anderson, regional warden captain for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

“This is a very unfortunate situation,” Anderson said. “These bears were extremely habituated and food conditioned and they posed a danger to the people who live in the area. The public came to FWP concerned about these bears being fed and the potential danger to local residents.”

Traps were set for the bears that were roaming in a residential area near Heron, which is in Sanders County near the Montana-Idaho border.

Anderson noted that Montana law prohibits feeding bears and other wildlife. The law states that a person can’t provide “supplemental feed attractants to game animals by purposely or knowingly attracting any clove-hoofed ungulates, bears or mountain lions ...”

Anderson said an investigation is under way and wardens are working with the Sanders County Attorney to evaluate any appropriate charges.

“The last thing we wanted to do is remove these bears,” he said. “But we had no choice because of the danger they pose to local residents.”

The bears were trapped and tranquilized and then euthanized with drugs that render the carcasses unsalvagable, so the bodies were buried in a landfill to prevent contact with people or other wildlife.

One male bear weighed 485 pounds and a female weighed nearly 300 pounds. That’s unusually heavy for black bears, reflecting their response to artificial feeding.

The other bears were a 446-pound male, a 106-pound male and a 158-pound male.

Anderson said food sources have been removed but he cautioned that other bears in the area may also be food-conditioned. He said wardens will continue to monitor the area until it is determined that food-conditioned bears have been removed and public safety issues have been mitigated.

Regional Wildlife Manager Jim Williams emphasized the necessity of removing the bears.

“It would be irresponsible to release these potentially dangerous bears somewhere else when the bears are in such a food-conditioned state,” he said.

Regional Supervisor Jim Satterfield noted that the department has not been successful in finding a zoo willing to take black bears.

“This is a very unfortunate example of how feeding bears directly leads to their death,” he said. “This is why we tell the public that feeding a bear is the same as signing its death warrant.”