Tahoe mother bear euthanized after an attack, leaving behind 2 cubs

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A South Lake Tahoe mother bear with "a long history of human conflict" was euthanized this week, after the animal attacked a camper and sent her to the hospital, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said. 

Wildlife officials said early Sunday morning, around 4:30 a.m., the bear broke into a trailer at Eagle Point Campground in Emerald Bay State Park. 

A camper inside woke up to the sound of the break-in and tried to scare the four-legged intruder away by making loud noises, banging pots and pans, and screaming at the animal, according to CDFW. 

"Undeterred, the bear forced its way into the trailer and swiped at the camper, leaving her with cuts and bruises on her arms and hand and requiring an escorted trip to the hospital," wildlife officials said in a post on its page "Bear Naked Truth." 

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Following the attack, the black bear, described as a light-colored female, was deemed a "public safety bear" under CDFW’s Black Bear Policy in California, and the agency made plans to immediately remove her.

State wildlife officials were not able to capture the sow right away, and they said later that same morning, the bear had other close human encounters.

She ripped the door open on a camper-van with teenagers sleeping inside and there were reports of the bear harassing other people in the same campground, officials said.

It wasn't until the following day that wildlife officials managed to locate and capture her in the area of the Eagle Point Campground. 

"DNA testing confirmed it was the same bear responsible for the attack," officials said.

A California State Parks ranger euthanized the bear the same day she was captured.

"CDFW and California State Parks had been attempting to trap the bear since June 17," fish and wildlife officials said. 

Two cubs brought to wildlife center  

Officials also noted that the bear had two 5-month-old cubs that animal care experts captured and brought to a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Northern California. They hope to rehabilitate the cubs and return them to the wild.

Officials said that it was critical to remove the young bears from their environment so they could unlearn dangerous behavior early in their lives.

"Bear cubs learn everything from their mothers – good and bad behavior alike," said Morgan Kilgour, regional manager for CDFW’s North Central Region. "A mother bear that constantly searches human-occupied areas for unnatural food sources, breaks into homes and vehicles teaches this behavior to her cubs and perpetuates another generation of human-bear conflict."

The backstory:

Wildlife officials said that their mother was responsible for a number of human-conflicts since spring, leading to multiple 911 calls.

They said DNA evidence showed that she was behind several attempted home and vehicle break-ins along Cascade Road in South Lake Tahoe and many confrontations at the Eagle Point Campground.

Earlier this month, she even entered a vehicle at the campground in which a young child was inside, strapped to a car seat. There were no injuries reported.

Non-lethal ‘hazing’ attempts unsuccessful 

Officials noted the animal did not react to multiple non-lethal attempts or "hazings" to encourage her to leave human-occupied areas. 

"The bear had been aggressively hazed by four different agencies, including CDFW, State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service on at least seven different occasions, yet the conflict behavior persisted," officials said.

They said that the situation was handled the best way possible, as the department of fish and wildlife called the California State Parks the "gold standard" when it comes to dealing with human-bear activity and conflicts.

Euthanasia as last resort 

"There is nothing State Parks could or should have done differently at Emerald Bay State Park," said Kilgour. "As wildlife professionals who devote our careers to the health and well-being of California’s fish and wildlife species, euthanasia is a measure of last resort. Our foremost responsibility, however, remains the protection of human life and the safety of the Tahoe region."

The agency said it hopes for a better outcome for the sow’s two cubs.

"Removing these cubs from this conflict activity early in their lives gives them a chance that they can return to the wild," CDFW said, "and live as wild bears should."

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