Montana ranchers learning to live with grizzly bears

By AARON BOLTON Montana Public Radio
KALISPELL, Mont. (Montana Public Radio) — As the grizzly bear population along the Rocky Mountain Front increases, ranchers are being asked to learn to live with the bruins.

The number livestock killed by grizzly bears in Montana is increasing and while the state reimburses some costs, ranchers say they face other losses, such as stressed cattle.

Rancher Trina Bradley of Valier has been working to help area ranchers learn about ways they can protect their livestock.

She says ranchers also need help to pay for the cost of those measures, which can include guard dogs, electric fencing and better grain storage.

The private land trust group Heart of the Rockies Initiative works to fund several local ranching and farm groups working on living with bears.