Wildlife Services shot and killed a 4 ½-year-old grizzly bear 7 miles west of Conrad on Tuesday evening.

The bear was removed from the population for killing sheep on the Lisa Schmidt and Don Sporleder ranches, both near Conrad.

Mike Madel, a grizzly bear management specialist with Fish, Wildlife & Parks, said the bear habitually killed livestock.

Last year it was relocated for killing llamas.

Wildlife services and FWP tracked the bear, which had a radio collar.

Mike Hoggan with Wildlife Services, a division of the U.S. Department of agriculture, shot the bear on the dry fork of the Marias River.

Bear No. 614, a male, weighed 480 pounds, which is large for a 4 ½ year old, Madel said.

Madel said the grizzly is part of a recent trend of bears moving east onto the high plains.

At times, these bears will need to be killed for killing livestock, Madel said.

Livestock producers operating near river drainages, which are being used by the bears to travel, should consider steps to protect livestock feed.