CODY, Wyo. - A young, orphaned grizzly bear had to be killed last week because people fed him just east of Yellowstone National Park and he lost his fear of humans.

The grizzly was the first in Wyoming to be killed by wildlife managers this year.

The 3-year-old bear had recently been frequenting Pahaska Tepee lodge west of Cody and was spotted being fed by people in passing vehicles several times last summer and at least once this spring, according to Mark Bruscino, bear management officer with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

"The same story happens year in, year out on the North Fork," Bruscino said. "People think it's fun to feed them and ultimately it ends in (the bear's) removal. It's well-known everywhere bears exist that once they receive human foods, they can become dangerous and oftentimes destructive."

The sub-adult grizzly was the offspring of a more famous bear, No. 104, which was hit and killed by a car two years ago along the North Fork and is now part of a display at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center's Museum of Natural History.

Bruscino said he was familiar with the young grizzly and said there were several reports that it had been illegally fed by visitors last summer. The bear was also seen approaching vehicles, which is a sign that he had received food that way in the past, Bruscino said.

This spring, the Game and Fish Department responded to a report at Pahaska Tepee that the bear was becoming a nuisance.

It showed no fear of humans and was moving around the lodge grounds allowing some people to approach within 20 feet, officials said. Attempts to haze the bear with loud noises didn't work.

Wildlife officials became concerned about public safety.