In a report by CBS Sacramento, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is trying to capture and kill a 500-pound black bear that authorities believe is responsible for breaking into homes while searching for food in the scenic Lake Tahoe area. The plans of the agency are opposed by an animal protection group, which wants the bear relocated to a sanctuary.
According to a spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the bear has caused damage to 38 residents in the South Lake Tahoe area, according to CBS Sacramento.
According to a black bear supporter who spoke to the local news website South Tahoe Now that people are inside their homes, the bear has smashed down doors for them.
It was Toogee Sielsch who notified the site that the situation was dangerous. “It makes my heart ache.”
A massive container-sized trap has been set up in the vicinity by the wildlife agency with the intention of putting the bear down once it has been captured.
In an interview with South Tahoe Now, wildlife biologist Jason Holley said that the bear had reached “the point of no return,” but that “the public must take responsibility for the problems that have brought us to this point” or else “the situation will worsen.”
It is recommended by the wildlife agency that individuals “bear-proof” their homes and rental properties by, among other things, making it difficult for bears to obtain waste and keeping food out of sight for them.
Despite the fact that the bear, which Ann Bryant described as a “well-known local,” is on the loose, the executive director of the Bear Education Aversion Response, or BEAR, League told CBS Sacramento that there is an alternative to killing it.
“We don’t want anyone to get hurt,” Bryant stated emphatically. “That is something no one wants. It’s also not in our interests for the bear to perish.”
According to CBS Sacramento, Bryant and the wildlife agency agree that if the bear is simply relocated because it does not know how to hunt, it will likely die. Bryant expressed interest in seeing the bear relocated to a wildlife sanctuary outside of the state.
Bears have been known to cause difficulties in the region in the past. After being forced to flee their homes after the Caldor Fire, many of South Lake Tahoe residents came home in September. Officials cautioned people to be on the lookout for bears that had been prowling through evacuated areas, robbing trash cans and homes in search of food.