Bear Euthanized After Injuring Two Residents in Idaho

Two people were injured in a bear attack outside their home in Salmon, Idaho, early Friday morning. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. in the Sunset Heights subdivision of the town, which has a population of just over 3,000.

One of the victims was airlifted by helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. Idaho Fish and Game was notified by the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office and deployed its Wildlife Human Attack Response Team to the scene.

Following the attack, authorities, with the help of a professional houndsman, tracked and euthanized three bears, including the one believed to be responsible for the mauling, as well as its sibling and presumed mother. The exact circumstances leading to the attack on the victims, who were on their porch at the time, were not immediately clear.

The sheriff’s office issued a statement Friday advising residents on measures to prevent bear encounters. Recommendations include securing outdoor food smells, locking garbage, cleaning outdoor grills, removing bird feeders and outdoor pet food, managing fruit trees, blocking potential entry points to homes, keeping windows and doors shut, and using deterrent mats.

This incident follows a separate bear attack in July in Fremont County, southeast of Lemhi County, where a jogger and his dog were approached by a bear in a state park. The jogger was able to leave the area unharmed, and his dog did not sustain any injuries. The bear involved in that encounter was not found.