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Residents react to seeing grizzly bears in Lolo, Florence area

Florence Grizzly Bears
Florence Grizzly Bears
Florence Lolo Grizzly Bear Area
Sasha Herriot
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UPDATE: 3:25 p.m. - Oct. 4, 2022

LOLO - State wildlife officials have captured and relocated a pair of grizzly bears that had been roaming near homes between Lolo and Florence. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reports the animals have been moved to a remote spot in the nearby Sapphire Mountains. (Read the full update)


ORIGINAL REPORT

LOLO - It's a topic we've been covering extensively lately — bears!

We told you on Wednesday about two grizzlies that have been hanging around a residence between Lolo and Florence where state wildlife officials are working to trap the pair.

Florence Grizzly Bears
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is working to trap two grizzly bears in the Florence area and then relocate them.

Sasha Herriot has not one, but two grizzly bears frequenting her backyard.

“It wasn’t even 12 hours later -- after we installed that game camera on the fence pointing at the mailbox, there were pictures on it,” Herriot said.

Sasha Herriot
Sasha Herriot has not one, but two grizzly bears frequenting her backyard.

“I actually saw one outside the gate in the middle of the day,” added Roy Chacon who is Herriot’s neighbor.

Chacon has also seen the bears rummaging through the neighborhood. They have been there for weeks, getting in garbage and checking out the fruit trees.

Florence Grizzly Bears
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is working to trap two grizzly bears in the Florence area and then relocate them.

“In everyone's defense, we weren’t expecting them,” Herriot told MTN News.

“This is the most bear activity we have seen in years,” Chacon noted.

Florence Lolo Grizzly Bear Area
A pair of grizzly bears have been frequenting homes between Lolo and Florence.

The neighborhood has seen bear activity before, as it rests against a popular spot for elk.

But Herriot says she has never seen a grizzly in the area -- until now.

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Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks told MTN News they are setting traps in the area and hope to relocate the bears.

FWP offers information about how to "be bear aware" on its website.

Learn more about how to identify bears by clicking here.

MTN Wildlife Correspondent Tanner Saul has more information about knowing the difference between grizzly bears and black bears in the video below.

Explainer: Know the difference between grizzly and black bears