Wildlife officials determine man who shot young bear near South Lake Tahoe justified in actions
A neighbor who said he witnessed the shooting disagreed. He said he did not feel the choice to kill the bear was justified. California's Department of Fish and Wildlife has cleared a South Lake Tahoe man of any wrongdoing after he shot a young bear that entered his home. The incident occurred at a home off Pioneer Trail in South Tahoe. The homeowner reported to investigators that the bear entered his living room and despite attempts to scare it off, the bear did not leave. Fish Wildlife confirmed that the decision to shoot the bear was made in self-defense. However, a neighbor, Bogdan Yamkovnko, disagreed and did not believe the killing was justified. The situation remains a reminder that community members must remain vigilant. Bear advocate Ann Bryant and the BEAR league urged people to keep home and car doors locked and to be proactive about living peacefully with bears.
Pubblicato : 10 mesi fa di Lee Anne Denyer, https://www.facebook.com/KCRALeeAnneDenyer in Science
California's Department of Fish and Wildlife cleared a South Lake Tahoe man of any wrongdoing after he shot a young bear that entered his home, a spokesperson said Tuesday evening.The incident involving a young 75-to-85-pound bear happened Monday at a home off Pioneer Trail in South Lake Tahoe. Steve Gonzalez, a spokesperson for Fish and Wildlife, said the homeowner reported to its investigators that the bear entered his living room Monday afternoon and despite trying to yell and scare the bear off, the bear did not leave.“This bear had come into his house. He feared for his life and when you fear for your life you can use deadly force to protect, to protect yourself and your family and that’s what he did,” Gonzalez said.A neighbor, however, who said he witnessed the shooting disagreed. He said he did not feel the choice to kill the bear was justified. Bogdan Yamkovnko told KCRA 3 he had seen the bear in the neighborhood before and had most recently spotted it in a tree nearby Monday morning. “We saw him in the morning when we walked the dog,” he said.Yamkovnko said he was eating lunch on his deck that afternoon when he saw the bear come down from a tree and go toward the back door of his neighbor’s home.“The bear spent probably about a minute there, kind of like looking around, sitting, looking at the door,” he said. “He was never all the way in the house.”Yamkovnko said, from his vantage point, it appeared the bear was starting to leave when he heard the shots. Gonzalez confirmed the bear was shot twice before it ran back up into a tree; Gonzalez said the homeowner shot the bear a third time after the bear fell from the tree and appeared to be suffering. He said the homeowner then called 911 to report the incident.| MORE | California advocates work to reduce black bear encounters in Lake Tahoe 'hot spot,' as state charts new strategy“It hurts to hear that,” said Lori Thorne, a longtime South Lake Tahoe resident. “I feel badly for the bear. They don’t usually get into those situations.” Thorne said living in the neighborhood requires an understanding of the bears that also call the area home. She said it’s up to community members to keep home and car doors locked and to be proactive about living peacefully with the animals.“You have to be careful to protect yourself but to protect the bears as well,” she said.Bear advocate Ann Bryant, the executive director of the BEAR league, agrees. She said the organization's volunteers were dispatched to the home after hearing the news of the shooting. Bryant said it’s not uncommon to see young bears this time of year.“They’re all dispersing,” she said of the yearling. “They don’t know the rules yet so we have to try and be a little bit tolerant for a while and, well, this neighbor was not tolerant.”Bryant felt the decision to shoot the bear was “criminal” and she hoped charges would be filed against the shooter. Fish and Wildlife said its officers investigated and could corroborate the man’s story and determined that the decision to shoot the bear was made in self-defense. Gonzalez said that while the investigation was closed the situation served as a reminder that community members must remain vigilant. | RELATED| See how reports of human and bear conflicts have spiked in California“We want to encourage them to find their way in nature out in nature not in somebody’s house, not in somebody’s backyard, not in somebody’s pool,” he said. “I think we have to come together and try and do the right thing so this doesn’t happen in the future.” He encouraged families to secure trash and barbeques, to bring in dog food and birdfeeders from outside, and to be familiar with best practices for what to do when encountering a bear in the wild.| MORE | These videos show Northern California bear encounters in recent yearsSee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.
Temi: Wildlife