Yellowstone National Park wildlife staff trapped and euthanized a grizzly bear this week after a series of conflicts with human food sources and trash in the park’s most popular tourist areas.

According to a Wednesday press release from the park, the 11-year-old, male grizzly bear, estimated to weigh 400 pounds, had repeatedly sought out food sources near Old Faithful, the Nez Perce Picnic Area and the Midway Geyser Basin parking lot.

The griz developed a strategy to flip over 800-pound dumpsters, uprooted small bear-resistant trash cans from their concrete bases and “became increasingly food-conditioned,” which wildlife managers decided posed a safety risk in such a busy area of the park. The decisions to euthanize the animal was made to ensure public safety and reduce the chances of other bears becoming habituated to human food.

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“It’s unfortunate that this bear began regularly seeking out garbage and was able to defeat the park’s bear-resistant infrastructure,” Yellowstone Bear Management Biologist Kerry Gunther said in a press release. “We go to great lengths to protect bears and prevent them from becoming conditioned to human food. But occasionally, a bear outsmarts us or overcomes our defenses. When that happens, we sometimes have to remove the bear from the population to protect visitors and property.”

The last grizzly bear killed in a management action in Yellowstone was in the fall of 2017, when park officials removed a griz that was damaging tents and accessing human food in backcountry campsites near Heart lake.

Yellowstone National Park’s bear management plan provides bear-resistant food storage lockers in all campgrounds, food storage devices in all backcountry campsites, and bear-resistant garbage cans and lockers. Park officials remind all visitors that utilizing these bear safety measures remain crucial in ensuring public safety, and preventing wildlife from developing dangerous habits.

All of Yellowstone is bear country, from the trails in the park’s backcountry to the boardwalks and parking lots around Old Faithful. Visitor safety cannot be guaranteed, but visitors can play an active role in protecting themselves and the bears people come here to enjoy.

Park staff ask that anyone involved in a conflict with a bear, regardless of how minor, contact park officials or report it to a park ranger as soon as possible. If cell service is available, dial 911. The lives of other people, and the bear, may depend on it.