SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — A California black bear with a history of confronting humans and breaking into homes was euthanized this week after swiping at a camper near Lake Tahoe and sending her to the hospital with cuts and bruises, officials said.
The woman was awakened around 4:30 a.m. Sunday when the female bear broke into her trailer at a campground near Emerald Bay State Park, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The camper tried to scare off the bear by screaming and banging pots and pans, the department said in a statement Tuesday.
“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,” the statement said.
Later that morning, the bear ripped open the door to a camper van with teenagers sleeping inside and then was reported harassing other campers at the same campground.
The bear, deemed a public safety risk, was tracked to another campground nearby on Monday and euthanized by a State Parks ranger, officials said. DNA testing confirmed it was the same bear responsible for the attack on the woman a day earlier.
Wildlife officers had been trying to trap the bear since June 17 after attempts to haze it out of areas where people live and recreate had failed. The bear had been the subject of multiple 911 calls following break-ins and confrontations, officials said. On June 10, the bear broke into a car parked at a campground with a child fastened to a child seat inside.
Steve Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the fish and wildlife department, said euthanasia is a measure of last resort. But protecting human life is paramount, he said.
“It’s not a decision that’s made lightly,” Gonzalez said Thursday. “Every incident, big or small, involving a bear goes through a lot of approvals and review.”
Officials said the sow’s two cubs were captured and delivered to a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Northern California in the hope they can be rehabilitated and returned to the wild.
Bears are a common sight in the Tahoe region, and residents and visitors are encouraged to stay aware and keep food locked away, Gonzalez said.