A grizzly bear that fatally mauled a Derby woman on a forest trail west of Yellowstone National Park in July, and also attacked a person in Idaho three years ago, was killed after it broke into a house near West Yellowstone, Montana, during the Labor Day weekend.
Early Saturday, a homeowner reported a bear with a cub had broken through a kitchen window and taken a container of dog food, according to a statement from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Later that day agency workers captured the cub and shot the 10-year-old female grizzly with authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, because grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Through genetic analysis and other identifying factors, the bear was confirmed to have been involved in the July 22 fatal attack on 48-year-old Amie Adamson, a former teacher from Derby, about eight miles from West Yellowstone. Efforts to trap the bear at that time were unsuccessful.
The bear, which had been captured six years ago for research purposes, was also involved in an attack in Idaho that injured a person near Henrys Lake State Park in 2020. The park is 16 miles by road from West Yellowstone.
Both encounters with people were believed to have been defensive responses by the bear, officials said.
The bear's 46-pound male cub is being held at the state wildlife rehabilitation center in Helena while arrangements are made to transfer it to a zoo.