Tahoe bear shot in self-defense on Memorial Day, some skeptical

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement Division has not filed charges against a homeowner who shot and killed a year-old bear on Memorial Day after it entered his home through a back door. The department was notified of the incident at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Monday, May 27.

“You have the right to protect yourself if an animal invades your home,” says Peter Tira, the department’s public information officer. “It is not a crime to defend your home from an invading wild animal.”

According to the agency, “the bear did not move after the homeowner yelled, made noises and waved his arms.” They say it began snorting and approached the man’s dog. That’s when the homeowner retreated to his bedroom and grabbed his .22 rifle. He returned to his living room, where, according to Tira, the man shot the bear twice inside the house.

The 75-85 pound yearling then ran out of the house and climbed a tree, but reportedly soon fell back out of the tree and, according to Tira, “appeared to be suffering from both gunshot wounds and the fall, forcing the homeowner to euthanize the bear to end its suffering.” The homeowner fired a third shot and called 911.

However, some are skeptical about the homeowner’s actions leading up to the shooting and the confirmed story.

“The bear was just a bear,” said Ann Bryant, executive director of the Bear League.

Neighbors who observed the incident saw the bear sleeping in a tree before the incident. They observed the bear climb down from the tree and approach their neighbor’s back door. “It seemed like the bear was curious,” neighbor Bogdan Yamkovenko told the Tribune, “trying to see if he could get into the house and possibly find some food.”

But from Yamkovenko’s vantage point on his deck, the bear’s behavior seemed more exploratory than threatening. “The bear wasn’t trying to break in. There was no such thing,” Yamkovenko noted. The door didn’t seem secure, “so it was either ajar or completely open.”

“We can preach until we’re blue in the face,” says Bryant, “but if you don’t want bears coming into your house, close and lock the doors and windows.”

Bryant adds: “If he lives here and has been here for so long, he certainly knows that you don’t leave the door open.”

According to Tira, the game wardens said the door was closed. “I don’t know to what extent it was securely locked or locked.”

Police did not release the identity of the shooter, only that the shooting occurred off Pioneer Trail Road, but neighbors say the shooter had lived in the Tahoe area for decades.

“We can forgive some tourists, short-term renters, visitors and vacationers,” says Bryant. “They don’t know.” But the shooter, says Bryant, “must have known that you don’t do something like that.”

Certain elements of the confirmed story differ from what neighbors Yamkovenko and his wife saw. According to the department, the shooter first shot the bear inside his house, but Yamkovenko says he didn’t hear the first shot until the bear was outside. “The bear was already startled and the shot was fired as it was already running.”

Yamkovenko said he was outside eating lunch when the incident occurred.

“We’re very close to his house,” says the neighbor. “You can hear the gun pretty well.”

He says the bear never made it all the way into the house in the estimated 15 to 30 seconds it took. When the bear was at its lowest point in the house, Yamkovenko said, he could see the bear by its hind legs and back sticking out the door.

This bear was not new to the neighborhood. Yamkovenko saw the yearling several times during the week. Once he scared the bear away. “It did what every bear does, right? It arched its back and hissed at me and then climbed the tree because it was scared,” Yamkovenko describes.

The league’s Bryant says many of these pups are in the tank right now as they separate from their mothers. “We see them a lot and they’re just trying to get back on their feet,” she says, as they learn to cope without their mothers.

She explains that they are often active during the day because they are afraid of the larger bears that are out at night. “We just have to be a little patient with them and understand what they are going through. They will understand.”

Both Bryant and Yamkovenko believe there were better alternatives than shooting the 75-85 pound yearling. “You could have kicked him,” Yamkovenko says, “you know, we’re not talking about a big bear here, my dog ​​is heavier, right?”

Bryant says the bear probably could have been scared away: “He didn’t deserve to die.”

To report human-bear conflicts or bear health concerns:

• In California, contact CDFW at 916-358-2917 or report the incident online through the Wildlife Incident Reporting (WIR) system at apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir.
• Non-emergency interactions with wildlife in California state parks can be reported to the Public Emergency Operations Center at 916-358-1300.
• In Nevada, contact NDOW at 775-688-BEAR (2327).
• If there is an immediate threat, call your local sheriff’s office or 911.

The Bear League also has a hotline (530) 525-PAWS, which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and can help anyone who has a problem with a bear. “We respond whether the bear is there or gone, or we are happy to advise people over the phone,” it says on its website.