On Monday, a bear in South Lake Tahoe was killed by state wildlife officials after “a long history of human conflict.” According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in the most recent event, the bear attacked a camper and sent the woman to the hospital.
On Sunday morning, the bear had broken into a trailer at Eagle Point Campground at the Emerald Bay State Park. The woman inside the trailer woke up and made loud noises by banging pots and screaming at the bear to scare the animal so she would leave. Instead of leaving, the bear swiped at the camper forcing her way into the camper. The woman was cut and bruised on her arms and was later admitted to the hospital.
After the attack, the bear deemed “a public safety bear” was slated to be euthanized. Officers were not able to locate the bear immediately, and in that brief time frame, the same sow had been reported to have had another human encounter when she ripped the door off a nearby camper scaring teens who had been sleeping inside.
The following day, wildlife officials spotted her in the campground area. She was later killed.
In the past, rangers had tried to use non-lethal “hazing” attempts to discourage the bear from getting near humans at campgrounds, but her behavior continued, and the danger of her fatally injuring humans and property had become imminent.
The mother bear’s two 5-month-old cubs have been captured and are now being raised in a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Northern California. Baby bears learn their behaviors from their mothers, and it is hoped the cubs can be discouraged from getting too close to campgrounds and staying away from humans.
Bears are attracted to human food and trash which can lead to habituation and increased interactions. Make sure to store food, garbage and other attractants in bear-resistance containers.
Recognizing bears as wild animals and respecting their space is crucial to coexisting. Bears have access to their natural food sources. Let them be safe, and let them be wild.
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I grew up in “bear country” and we were always updating our “bear proof garbage cans”. Bears are VERY smart and once they have figured out that a house is a “food source” good luck in keeping them away.
They can cut a car in half looking for a coconut scented bottle of tanning oil, destroy a garage getting to “standard plastic garbage bags”…….. we had thick steel, locking bear proof garbage lockers (which, thankfully, were very effective in deterring the bears)…….. most of the time it’s just stupid people who think it’s “cute” to feed wildlife or who are too lazy to deal with bear proof garbage lockers or bear proof food lockers. It’s really awful that animals “pay the ultimate price” for human stupidity…….