Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

Montana ranch hand fined for chasing grizzly bear in truck

A grizzly bear is videoed as a Montana ranch hand in a pickup chases it away from livestock. The video posted to Facebook in March 2016 was used as evidence to ticket the worker resulting in a $400 fine for harassing protected wildlife.
A grizzly bear is videoed as a Montana ranch hand in a pickup chases it away from livestock. The video posted to Facebook in March 2016 was used as evidence to ticket the worker resulting in a $400 fine for harassing protected wildlife.
THREATENED SPECIES – A Montana ranch hand has been fined after posting a video of a grizzly bear being chased by a truck on social media.

The Helena Independent Record reports that Lawrence Kennedy of Browning was fined $400 with a $25 processing fee after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

Kennedy initially pleaded not guilty to violating the Endangered Species Act but entered the new plea agreement July 5. He is charged with unlawfully harassing a threatened species.

Federal officials investigated Kennedy after he posted a video to Facebook in March showing him driving a pickup truck as a bear ran across a Browning-area ranch.

Kennedy told the Independent Record in March that he was chasing the bear to keep it away from a herd of cows that were calving.

The video was published by the Billings Gazette in March as it was presented for evidence in the case.

For comparison:



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

Follow Rich online:




Go to the full Outdoors page