Black Bear Killed In Grand Teton National Park After ‘Poor Decisions Made By Park Visitors’
A black bear had to be “lethally removed” from Grand Teton National Park last week after being repeatedly approached by people and provided food, leading to “a concerning pattern of behavior,” park officials said Tuesday.
“Park managers determined that the repeated food rewards, escalating proximity to people and increasingly food-conditioned behavior created an unacceptable safety risk,” they said in a statement.
“We need to be clear — this bear was lethally removed because of poor decisions made by park visitors. It is everyone’s responsibility to help keep bears wild: Never leave food unattended, even for a moment,” the statement continued.
The park’s online post included photos that officials said showed visitors approaching the black bear within a few feet near Delta Lake. The same bear was also seen “getting into abandoned food and gear in and among trees, logs and boulders in the Delta Lake area.”
“If you have time to grab your phone, you have time to grab your food,” the staff admonished.
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A fresh wave of bird flu has struck commercial turkey farms across Minnesota and the Dakotas, affecting more than 417,000 birds as the virus resurges during fall migration.
The latest cases include two Minnesota flocks containing a combined 62,300 birds, bringing the number affected in the country’s leading turkey-producing state this fall to 92,100, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The outbreak, concentrated across the Upper Midwest poultry industry, has hit ahead of the holiday season.
Since August 12, the virus has been confirmed in five South Dakota commercial flocks containing approximately 284,000 birds, including meat-turkey farms and breeding operations. Three Minnesota flocks totaling 92,100 birds have also been affected, along with a commercial flock of 41,600 turkeys in LaMoure County, North Dakota, according to federal outbreak data.
The North Dakota detection marked the second outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in LaMoure County this year, following a case confirmed in April, according to the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. The latest cluster is part of a nationwide outbreak that reached commercial poultry in February 2022 and has repeatedly forced producers to destroy entire affected flocks to limit the disease’s spread, the APHIS says.
Unrelated file photo of turkeys at a turkey farm in Minnesota on November 2, 2005. | AP Photo/Janet Hostetter, File
Where Have the Latest Bird Flu Outbreaks Been Detected?
The newest detections were reported at two Minnesota operations: a meat-turkey flock of 44,300 birds and a commercial breeding flock containing 18,000 birds, according to APHIS outbreak data. They followed a case involving 29,800 meat turkeys in Wright County, west of Minneapolis.
The regional resurgence began in South Dakota’s Beadle County on August 12, when the virus was confirmed in a commercial flock of 74,900 meat turkeys. Federal records show a further detection affected 73,800 birds at a turkey breeding operation in Hamlin County, while another breeding flock of 30,200 birds was affected in Edmunds County. The South Dakota Department of Health then alerted medical providers to watch for possible infections among people exposed to affected poultry in Edmunds and Hamlin counties.
Two more South Dakota cases were confirmed on September 9, affecting 61,300 meat turkeys in McPherson County and 43,800 in Turner County, according to local outlet KELO-TV. The detections placed affected farms across eastern South Dakota, including counties near the Minnesota and North Dakota borders.
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Across the state line, H5N1 was confirmed on September 1 at a turkey facility in LaMoure County, North Dakota. The county sits in the southeastern part of the state, north of the South Dakota border and west of Minnesota. The affected locations show the latest commercial outbreak extending across a connected portion of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest rather than being confined to a single production area.
Why the Outbreak Matters for Turkey Production
The detections are significant because they are occurring at the center of the U.S. turkey industry. Minnesota raised 32 million turkeys in 2025—more than any other state—while South Dakota raised 2.4 million, according to the USDA’s latest annual Turkeys Raised report. The agency said the six largest producing states accounted for 68 percent of the national total.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza can disrupt production beyond the birds that initially become sick. Infected flocks are depopulated under federal and state supervision, while affected premises must undergo disposal, cleaning and virus-elimination procedures before they can resume normal operations, according to APHIS guidance.
The timing places renewed pressure on producers ahead of the Thanksgiving and Christmas period, when demand for turkey traditionally rises. However, the confirmed losses represent only a fraction of annual U.S. production, and federal officials have not indicated that the latest cases will cause a nationwide shortage. The USDA’s next annual estimate of turkeys raised, due later in September, should provide a clearer picture of the industry’s overall supply.
Does the Outbreak Pose a Risk to People?
The risk to the general public remains low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although sporadic infections have been recorded among American poultry and dairy workers, the latest turkey farm detections do not by themselves indicate an increased risk to people without direct animal exposure.
People who work with infected birds, carcasses or contaminated materials face a greater risk because infection can occur when the virus enters the eyes, nose or mouth or is inhaled. The CDC recommends protective equipment and other workplace controls for people who handle sick birds or cull affected flocks. It also recommends monitoring exposed people for symptoms for 10 days after their last exposure.
The outbreaks do not mean properly prepared turkey is unsafe to eat. Federal safeguards make it unlikely that infected poultry will enter the food supply, and the Food and Drug Administration says there is no evidence of bird flu transmission through properly prepared food. The USDA recommends cooking all poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, according to its Food Safety and Inspection Service.
What Is Driving the Latest Bird Flu Outbreaks?
The timing of the new cases coincides with the beginning of fall migration, when wild birds can carry avian influenza across long distances. Wild birds may be infected without appearing sick and can introduce the virus to new areas as they migrate, potentially exposing domestic poultry, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
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That makes migration a plausible factor in the renewed activity, but officials have not publicly identified how the virus entered each affected farm. Transmission can occur through direct contact with infected birds or indirectly through contaminated feces, water, equipment, vehicles, clothing and footwear.
The USDA uses surveillance of wild birds as an early-warning system for threats to poultry. Farms can reduce the likelihood of infection by limiting contact with wild birds, controlling access to poultry houses, and disinfecting equipment, but biosecurity cannot eliminate the risk entirely.
Related video: ‘Poor decisions’ led to bear being killed in Grand Teton National Park (SFGATE)
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