Euthanized Griz

Mother Griz Put Down After DNA Confirmation; Three Cubs May Go to ZooMontana

The attacks at the campground seven miles outside of Yellowstone National Park’s Northeast Entrance occurred Wednesday morning; 48-year-old Kevin Kammer of Grand Rapids, Mich. was killed after his body was dragged 25 feet from his tent. The campground was cleared before sunrise; officials took DNA samples from the scene to match in case a potential protagonist was caught.

The next day the mother grizzly, weighing between 300 and 400 pounds, was captures when she and her three cubs returned to the scene of the crime. She was caught in a culvert trap after going after the victim’s tent; two other cubs were snared that night and a third the next day.

The DNA tests came back today, and they were a match. Shortly afterward the sow was euthanized.

The fate of her three cubs is still undetermined. State officials have approached Billings’ ZooMontana about taking ownership of the three, though earlier state officials had discussed putting the three down as well. We’re told a final decision is still on the way.

The above photo shows the grizzly sow before she was euthanized. Courtesy Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department.

RELATED STORIES: Third Griz Cub Trapped; Authorities Waiting on DNA Analysis; Griz Victim Remembered as Avid Outdoorsman; Trap Snares Culprit in Soda Butte Killing: A Mother Griz; Why Did Bear — or Bears — Attack at Soda Butte?; Bear Kills One, Injures Two in Campground Near Yellowstone

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