Dead Grizzly West Of Noxon Was Likely Hit By Train

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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) investigated the mortality of a 3-year old female grizzly bear approximately 3 miles west of the Bull River junction and Highway 200 last week. FWP Warden Sergeant Jon Obst and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Wayne Kaseworm recovered the bear from the Clark Fork River west of Noxon. The cause of death was unknown at the time. The bear was X-Rayed in Kalispell and there was no sign of the bear having been shot. A further necropsy indicated wounds consistent with being struck by a large object.

Montana Rail Link reported that a train struck a possible grizzly bear the night of October 20, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. along the Clark Fork River in the same area where the bear was recovered. GPS information retrieved from the bear’s radio collar confirmed that the bear was on or near the railroad tracks when the last reading was taken before a mortality signal was received. This combination of information leads investigators to believe that the grizzly bear was struck by a train.

This grizzly bear was moved July 24 from the Stillwater Drainage near Trego to the Cabinet Mountains as part of the grizzly bear augmentation project for the Cabinets. Warden Captain Lee Anderson notes that each grizzly bear mortality in the Cabinet Mountains area represents a setback for recovery efforts for that ecosystem.