Idaho state and federal officials are searching for whoever killed a female Grizzly bear and her cub. Grizzly bears are a federally protected Endangered Species. The incident occurred north of the town of Bonners Ferry on Hall Mountain. The animals were discovered on Friday by a hiker.
Idaho Fish and Game Spokesman Phil Cooper says it’s not known if a hunter mistook the Griz for a black bear, shot it, and then noticed the cub, “and then approached the animal , saw it had a cub with it and panicked, or whether it went through their mind that this animal is going to starve, I’m going to shoot rather than let it starve, who knows”.
Cooper says the carcasses were sent to a federal lab in Oregon for analysis. He says it may be difficult to obtain more information on the identity of the killer from the lab results, but there are other ways to locate the person responsible. "A lot of times there are significant rewards," Cooper says. "And in case like this, someone tells someone, and folks come forward often for the reward money, and also because of what happened.
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the case. Persons with information can contact the Idaho Fish and Game office in Coeur d Alene, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Spokane. It’s estimated there are about 50 of the creatures in the Selkirk Mountains of Northern Idaho.