Grizzly Bear Deaths in 2014

Eighteen grizzly bears were killed in encounters with humans in north-central Montana this year, but none had to be destroyed by wardens for becoming troublesome, state and federal experts said.

The statistics were disclosed this week by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, a group that oversees the recovery of the threatened species.

The group includes representatives of the Idaho, Montana and Wyoming governments and the U.S. Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service.

The statistics cover the 9,600-square-mile Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem in Montana. It's one of six grizzly bear recovery zones in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming and the Canadian province of British Columbia.

The 18 bears died in encounters with hunters, landowners or cars or in other situations, officials said.

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