Op/Ed: Euthanizing Bears: Can You Bear It?

The majority of Tahoe locals and tourists lack knowledge of bear precaution, causing the growing presence of bears in South Lake Tahoe’s residential areas. In recent years, Lake Tahoe’s black bears have become problematic when outside their natural meadow and forest habitat. Because of human habits, bears have become attracted to local neighborhoods. Passing routines down to their cubs, bears remain dependent on the human food source left outside many residents’ homes. There are a number of reasons that South Lake Tahoe locals and tourists have attracted bears to human neighborhoods, which has ultimately resulted in the unnecessary euthanization of bears, and upset the ecosystem.

Because laws exist that bears posing a threat to humans or property must be trapped and killed as opposed to relocated, bears are euthanized; however, many if not all of the solutions to this problem lie in the hands of the South Lake Tahoe community. Government policy states that the California and Nevada Department of Fishing and Game (DFG) cannot relocate wildlife, for no relocation programs in the states exist. Bears habituated to human areas and those that cause problems, such as walking on residential property, and/or eating out of garbage cans, should not be reported to the DFG immediately, but should be handled within the residential community . Many bears in Lake Tahoe have become reliant on human food, and bears that are a nuisance “are not candidates for moving and shall either be humanely euthanized or placed with a permitted animal care facility,” according to the Department of Fishing and Game. On the other side, we have depredation bears, which refers to those that pose serious threats to property or people, and have little to no chance of survival. Section 4181.1 of the Fish and Game Code states, “that landowners may kill a bear” that is “molesting or injuring livestock.” Whether trapped or killed, Lake Tahoe black bears are losing wildlife freedom. That is why the DFG suggests locals and visitors make an effort to correct the problem before officials have to step in. Bear proofing Lake Tahoe neighborhoods and creating awareness in our community can save a bear’s life, and help save our ecosystem.

The unnecessary killing of Lake Tahoe’s black bears has led to an upset in Tahoe’s ecosystem. In recent years, resulting in contact with humans, bears have become dependent on human trash as an alternate, yet consistent, food source, instead of relying on hunting and gathering for sustenance. They have decreased their natural predatory and scavenging behaviors, affecting the important role they play in balancing the population of animals, insects, and plants. In the ecosystem, bears survive off foraging for food. Their food source is typically vegetation, but in some cases, insects and animals. Tahoe’s bears, who are omnivores, play a huge role in spreading seeds and keeping plant levels healthy. By moving into residential areas, bears obtain food easily from unsecured trash cans and dumpsters. They have become adept at scavenging for garbage because of human negligence and careless attitudes. Locals and tourists have recognized this instinctual act as a safety threat, but rather than looking at terminating the cause of the problem, outside officials are forced step in and kill our local black bears. Killing bears for nuisance reasons creates unnecessary problems in the food chain, and by eliminating them, we eliminate a huge part of Tahoe’s ecosystem.

By educating one another and becoming aware of our local wildlife, we can save our bears’ lives, and keep our ecosystem intact. We can educate the citizens of South Tahoe by hosting town meetings on major holidays and weekends, so that we can inform locals as well as second homeowners of the bear issues, and provide the knowledge needed to solve it. Ultimately, education is the solution to preventing local bears from unjust euthanization.

Sabrina Green
South Tahoe High School Junior
Thank you so much for reading my research