MALTA, Mont. (NMB) – Officials with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks say a possible black bear sighting was recently reported near Malta.
A press release says that in the last month, several people reported and sent in photos of what appear to be black bear tracks at locations between Malta and Dodson.
So far, the bear has apparently had no negative encounters with humans.
FWP says that bear encounters are rare in most of Region 6, but there are known black bears present in the Bear Paw and Little Rockies mountain ranges. More recently, there have been the reported sightings near Malta.
Black bears are occasionally found wandering far from their traditional areas, and preventive measures should always be taken to prevent wildlife encounters.
It is important for people to secure garbage inside a garage or secure shed, bring pet food in at night, clean up livestock food, and bring in bird feeders and clean up spilled seed.
It is unlawful to intentionally or inadvertently feed bears. Feeding bears can make them food-conditioned and more dangerous to humans. Preventing bears from becoming food-conditioned also helps prevent officials from having to euthanize them in the interest of public safety.
