The X Files: Missing Grizzly Claws, Albino Black Bear and Electrocuted Animals

By Courtney Lowery, 11-02-09

Strange things come in threes and this week, three animal stories in Montana caught my eye, each of them getting progressively weirder. 

1. Last week, the Great Falls Tribune reported that a grizzly bear was found along the Rocky Mountain Front shot, with all its claws missing. The scary part is that it was the second bear to meet such a fate.

2.  The Daily Interlake reported over the weekend on an albino black bear near Olney that state wildlife officials were able to capture and relocate to Glacier National Park, where they thought the bear might be safer during hunting season. Albino bears are rare, although one official said they have seen a few in the last 10 years.

3. Finally, the strangest: A downed power line near Eureka in Northwestern Montana is being blamed for the deaths of at least 12 animals. The remains found at the site of the power line included five whitetail deer, four black bears, two wolves, one coyote and a turkey vulture. Read Jim Mann’s piece here, also in the Daily Inter Lake on what created the “perfect storm” for all the electrocutions. Very sad.