Mother Bear with 'Long History of Human Conflict' Euthanized After Attacking Camper, Sending Her to the Hospital

A female bear — described as having “a long history of human conflict” — was euthanized in California following an attack. 

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) shared in a June 24 blog post on its website that it partnered with California State Parks to remove the bear from the South Lake Tahoe area after an attack on June 22.

The CDFW said the bear entered an “occupied trailer belonging to a camper at Eagle Point Campground,” which is located in the Emerald Bay State Park. The camper attempted to “scare the bear off by banging pots and pans” and “screaming.”

“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 CDFW said.

However, that wasn’t the only incident reported that day, as the same bear also “ripped the door open on a camper van with teenagers sleeping inside” and was later “reported harassing other campers within the same campground,” per the agency.

Due to the attack and other incidents, the bear was deemed “a danger to public safety” and was “targeted for immediate removal” according to the CDFW’s 2022 Black Bear Policy. Under the policy’s guidelines, if a “bear is determined to be an imminent threat to the public,” it should be “euthanized as quickly as possible by a department official or a peace officer.”

The female bear was located on June 23 in the vicinity of the Eagle Point Campground and was euthanized by a State Parks ranger. The agency confirmed it was the same bear in the attacks through DNA testing.

“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,” Morgan Kilgour, regional manager for the CDFW’s North Central Region, said in a statement. “Our foremost responsibility, however, remains the protection of human life and the safety of the Tahoe region.”

The female bear was also the subject of “multiple 911 emergency calls and unrelenting conflict activity,” per the CDFW.

“DNA evidence linked the bear to multiple attempted home and vehicle break-ins along Cascade Road in South Lake Tahoe and many confrontations at the Eagle Point Campground,” the agency said.

The bear also previously entered a vehicle at the campground with a “child fastened to a child seat inside.” The CDFW said different agencies attempted to “haze” the animal to get it away from the area, but the bear was “unresponsive to multiple attempts.”

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The bear was a mother to “two 5-month-old cubs,” who have since been transported to a “wildlife rehabilitation facility” to help care for them.

“Bear cubs learn everything from their mothers — good and bad behavior alike,” Kilgour explained in a statement. “A mother bear that constantly searches human-occupied areas for unnatural food sources, and breaks into homes and vehicles, teaches this behavior to her cubs and perpetuates another generation of human-bear conflict.”

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